Breath, Eyes, Memory (Chpts.1-6)

Breath, Eyes, Memory
By: Edwidge Danticat
Pages: 3-49

• Summary

The story begins when Sophie is in Haiti living with her aunt. It is mother's day and Sophie has prepared a card with a daffodil attached to it for her aunt. Later that day the people of her neighborhood have a potluck. During the potluck Tante Atie (Sophie's aunt) reveals something to the neighbors. Sophie is going to America to live with her mother. Sophie pretends not to listen but is sadden by the news. When the potluck ends, Monsieur Augustin (a neighbor) gives comforting words to Tante Atie and Sophie and tears come to Tante Atie's eyes while he wallks back to his house with his wife.
The day comes for Sophie to travel to the New York to be with her mother and all she can think of is that she has no life beyond Haiti. During the time Sophie leaves there is a small civil war that is going on in Haiti.
Sophie finally arrives and she automatically notices her mother when she came and grabbed her. At first Sophie is hesitant and says little to her mother. Her mother lives in an apartment in the projects. However Sophie does finally get her own room. During the night, Sophie's mother has nightmares. When Sophie goes to check on her she seems ashamed and doesn't want to look at her face.

• Quotation

"A red dust rose between me and the only life I had ever known. There were no children playing, no leaves flying about. No daffodils (Danticat 31).

• Reaction

This quote is encountered when Sophie is driving away from her home and on her way to the airport. I think that this is sumbolism because when I read red dust I thought of an uprising conflict. Then when I read no children playing and no daffodils I think of unhappines. So maybe her moving to New York is going to result to conflict and unhappiness. I think the conflict will be between her and her mother because once she came into the house her mother was already talking about school. Sophie's mother is probably going to be very strict about her education. At the same time I think that he and her mother's relationship will be a more of a supportive one because of her mother's nightmares. Maybe Sophie will be the one to support her mother from her nightmares. However, I don't think their relationship will go much further than that. My overall reaction to the book so far is that I love the use of creole in the book. I was really excited to see the words because I recognized and knew them. Also I love how much of Haiti's cultures and beliefs are used in the book. So far, Danticat does a great job of connecting these beliefs to the story.