The Bone People

Violence and love go hand in hand in this novel. Kerewin notices several times how forgiving both Joe and Simon are of their abusers and how loving their relationship can be despite Joe’s beatings. This seeming paradox in their behavior raises an important consideration: Domestic abuse is not a straightforward problem and it is not necessarily the result of hate on the part of the abuser.

For Joe, beating Simon seems to be an outlet for repressed anger but also a poorly chosen way of trying to correct the boy’s destructive tendencies. The man has an epiphany at the end of the novel in which he clearly sees the source of his violence: his resentment of Simon’s difference and Joe’s inability to control the boy. This moment reveals the deep-seated trauma of colonialization. Joe, the embodiment of a colonized people, has internalized the pakeha value system, giving up his dreams and aspirations to provide what is considered a proper life for his wife. When his unfulfilling life choice becomes oblique due to his loss, his unhappiness and inability to find a different type of meaning lead to self-resentment. He fears the things that are not rational or normal, at least according to mainstream Western perceptions.