Edwidge Danticat's acclaimed novel, 'Breath Eyes Memory' that was chosen for Oprah Winfrey's book club in 1998 tells the tale of a young Haitian girl who had recently immigrated to the United States. Told through the eyes of the young protagonist, Sophie, Breath Eyes Memory focuses on a variety of themes. The themes of love and betrayal, culture and the role of women in society are explored. The first chapter of the novel commences with the symbolic daffodil which hung from a card Sophie made for her aunt, Tantie Atie for Mother’s Day. Her aunt told her to keep it for when she sees her mother not knowing that it will occur very soon. As the book progresses, Sophie was preparing herself to meet her mother, a woman that she's never met. Though she was sad about leaving her aunt, she was still excited to meet her mom. What seemed to be a very good thing for Sophie, the outcome was terrible. She was greeted with the nightmares of her mother. The first section of the book ended with Martine, (Sophie's mother) informing Sophie of how she was conceived. Six years later, the second section of the book began. Sophie was 18years old and had fallen in love with an American, Joseph and Martine began 'testing her'. Sophie was consumed by the trauma of 'testing' and couldn't bear with it any longer so she decided to take a 'pestle' ad pressed it into herself. She was confident that it would've stopped the testing and it did. She then eloped with Joseph and gave birth. Sophie returned to Haiti with her daughter, Bridgete in the third section of the book. There, her mother made amends with her. In the end, Martine lost the battle. She escaped her trauma by stabbing herself seventeen (17) times with an old rusty knife.
Edwidge Danticat's acclaimed novel, 'Breath Eyes Memory' that was chosen for Oprah Winfrey's book club in 1998 tells the tale of a young Haitian girl who had recently immigrated to the United States. Told through the eyes of the young protagonist, Sophie, Breath Eyes Memory focuses on a variety of themes. The themes of love and betrayal, culture and the role of women in society are explored. The first chapter of the novel commences with the symbolic daffodil which hung from a card Sophie made for her aunt, Tantie Atie for Mother’s Day. Her aunt told her to keep it for when she sees her mother not knowing that it will occur very soon. As the book progresses, Sophie was preparing herself to meet her mother, a woman that she's never met. Though she was sad about leaving her aunt, she was still excited to meet her mom. What seemed to be a very good thing for Sophie, the outcome was terrible. She was greeted with the nightmares of her mother. The first section of the book ended with Martine, (Sophie's mother) informing Sophie of how she was conceived. Six years later, the second section of the book began. Sophie was 18years old and had fallen in love with an American, Joseph and Martine began 'testing her'. Sophie was consumed by the trauma of 'testing' and couldn't bear with it any longer so she decided to take a 'pestle' ad pressed it into herself. She was confident that it would've stopped the testing and it did. She then eloped with Joseph and gave birth. Sophie returned to Haiti with her daughter, Bridgete in the third section of the book. There, her mother made amends with her. In the end, Martine lost the battle. She escaped her trauma by stabbing herself seventeen (17) times with an old rusty knife.