Salvage the Bones

“Mama gave birth in the house she bore all of us in, here in this gap in the woods her father cleared and built on that we now call the Pit” 

This description of the Batiste’s house establishes a few different things: the importance of Esch’s mother to the Batiste family, as well as the meager conditions they live in, a place with the derogatory name of “the Pit”.

“At her opening, I see a purplish, red bulb. China is blooming” 

This image of China giving birth to puppies is a reflection of the fruitful side of nature, and compares birth to a flower blooming.

“’She can hold her own. Told you she was going to be a little scrappy scrawny thing—built just like you’”

Although there are times in the novel where Claude speaks poorly about women, Esch takes this description of herself (and the comparison to her mother) as a compliment. It also speaks to the strength and survival instinct of the book’s narrator.