A House With Good Bones

The theme of Family Lineage and Trauma explores the ways that trauma and power are passed from generation to generation. This theme concretely ties the novel to the Southern Gothic tradition, which examines the ambivalence, secrets, and dark underbelly of family. T. Kingfisher uses the rose motif and the underground children to explore this theme.

Family lineage manifests in the narrative in several ways, especially the symbol of the rose. Roses appear throughout the novel—for example, in Gran Mae’s rose garden and the epigraphs describing rose varieties. They represent Gran Mae’s lingering presence in the house and Sam and Edith’s lives, as the roses, which Gran Mae planted, survive her. The roses suggest the trauma passed down in this family lineage, as implied by Edith’s shock when Sam places some of them in a vase. Sam’s memory of Gran shoving her hand into rose thorns also manifests this theme, tying the physical pain of the memory to both the roses and Gran.

The roses also retain Gran Mae’s magical power, which symbolizes her emotional power within the family. Gail hypothesizes that Gran Mae put all her considerable power into the rose garden, ensuring that magic—and her influence on her family—would persist for years after her death.