Cemetery Boys

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2020

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

Chapters 11-15

Chapters 16-20

Chapters 21-26

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Symbols & Motifs

Marigolds

Marigolds, also known as “the flores de muerto” (9), are a frequent motif in Cemetery Boys. In the opening scene of the novel, “tall orange and yellow flowers leaned against one another like drunken friends”—they “had exploded into bloom over the months leading up to Día de Muertos” (9).

Representing Lady Death herself, marigolds symbolize life after death and the brujx’ faith in their deity. As such, marigolds are used in many of the brujx traditions and practices. When Yadriel’s brother frees a spirit from the world of the living, “Beatriz disappeared in an explosion of glittering marigold petals” (118). When Yadriel summons Lady Death, she appears with a “crown of marigolds” (265). Marigolds are thus a manifestation of Lady Death in the world of the living. Because of this, the brujx build archways covered in marigolds to act as “gateways the spirits use to pass through from the land of the dead to the land of the living” (215).

The flowers play a very important part in the Day of the Dead as “the color of the marigolds and their really strong scent of apples lead the spirits back to the cemetery” (215).

Food

In Cemetery Boys, food represents warmth, comfort, and home. The importance of food in Latinx culture is highlighted numerous times in the novel. For instance, adult women in the community often show affection through food. Lita, Yadriel’s grandmother, makes him food as a gesture of love. Similarly, in Maritza’s home, “Yadriel knew better than to decline an offer of food from a Latinx mom” (104). Food is a symbol of care and concern—rejecting it is a rejection of community and companionship.

When specially prepared for the dead, food becomes a symbol of familial love. Yadriel shows Julian how brujx “make this food for spirits […] we use it for ofrendas to welcome spirits back for Día de Muertos” (68). The smell of food made by loved ones guides and welcomes spirits back to the land of the living. Because of this, family members often fill ofrendas with a person’s “favorite foods” on top of “the standard stuff like mezcal, pan de muerto” (215). In preparation for their loved one’s return, “Some altars stood seven steps high, piled with food and drinks” (238).

In the novel, food comes to symbolize romantic love as well. Yadriel buys Julian’s favorite foods to place on his ofrenda: “packages of Gansitos, two glass bottles of Coke, pink coconut cookies, and some potato chips” (221). Though Yadriel knows that Julian technically will not be able to return to him on the Day of the Dead, he makes an ofrenda for him anyway, to show affection. Food is a physical manifestation of a person’s love and care for another.

St. Jude Necklace

In Catholic Christian tradition, Saint Jude is the patron saint of lost causes—a figure who is willing to intercede even in the most dire and unlikely pleas for help. Julian’s St. Jude necklace, the tether that keeps his spirit connected to the world of the living, is a fitting symbol for Julian himself—a boy in danger of being lost to the streets as an orphan and gay teen, and now in danger of being sacrificed in a magical ritual. The necklace is extremely important to Julian: “the raised form of St. Jude himself was bright silver, as if it had been polished by someone rubbing their thumb against it over and over” (45). This indicates to Yadriel and the reader that Julian often touches his necklace. When Julian tells Yadriel that the necklace was a gift from his father, we understand why he uses this symbol for emotional support.

Thomas also uses the necklace to signify Julian’s growing trust and love for Yadriel. When they begin to fall for one another, Julian tries to become solid enough to touch. The intimate moment that follows includes the necklace, as Julian perceives “The shiver of the medal against his throat” (170). The necklace is seemingly imbued with Julian’s life energy. When Julian dies, “The St. Jude medal around his neck gave one last flicker of light before dulling to tarnished silver” (263). As Julian passes away, the light imbued in the necklace also fades. The St. Jude necklace thus represents Julian, his spirit, and his tentative connection to the world of the living.