Breath, Eyes, Memory (Chpts. 21-27)

Breath, Eyes, Memory
By: Edwidge Danticat
Pages: 134-174

• Summary

In the beginning of the first chapter Tante Atie's change becomes more apparent when she starts drinking to forget her worries.
Sophie confronts her grandmother about the tests the mothers gave to their daughters. Her grandmother responds "if your child is disgraced, you are disgraced". This means that for whatever wrong doings a child has done then people will blame the parents not the child. Sophie explains her nightmares to her grandmother because she knows they will never go away. In the night both cry for each others pains.
Martine comes to Haiti to bring Sophie and Brigitte back to America. Before they leave Louise, Tante Atie's bestfriend, leave for America without telling her. Tante Atie is heartbroken and feels completely alone and betrayed.

• Quote

"The men in this area, they insist that their women are virgins and have ten fingers" (Danticat 151)."

• Reaction

This quote was said when Sophie decided to cook for her family in Haiti. She remembered something Tante Atie had said about the ten fingers. Each finger represents something: mothering, boiling, loving, baking, nursering, frying, healing, washing, ironing, and scrubbing. Also men have always wanted their women to be pure before they got married which is why mothers did the tests so their daughters would be married. I picked this quote because it was something that I thought wasn't right. Though those ten qualities are good for every one to have I don't think that they should be considered as a necessities by men.

Breath, Eyes, Memory (Chpts. 13-20)

Breath, Eyes, Memory
By: Edwidge Danticat
Pages: 93-133

• Summary

Part 3

Sophie returns to Haiti. With her is a baby girl named Brigitte. When she arrives she meets Tante Atie and goes back to her grandmother's home. Tante Atie has finally started to learn to write.

Sophie tells Tante Atie how Martine doesn't respond to any of her letters or phone calls.

In Haiti there are a lot of conflicts in Grandma Ife's home. Grandma doesn't like Tante Atie's best friend Louis. Also she doesn't like the way Atie has been acting ever since she moved to take care of her mother. Grandma feels if Atie is here to take care of her it should be because she wants to and not because Atie feels that it's her responsibility and has to do it.

Sophie talks about her marriage with her grandmother. Sophie left Providence as short vacation. She has been scared by the testings and because of it has become ashamed of her body. This causes her to not be able to perform with her husband. She has come to Haiti because she feels she should be somewhere on her own.

Grandma Ife and Atie receives a tape from Martine. The talked about the usual things, how things were going with herself. Martine then tell them about Joseph being worried about Sophie because he got home and didn't find her or Brigitte there.

• Quotation

" "I am empty, old woman," she said. "As empty as a dry calabash" (Danticat 126).

• Reaction

Tante Atie said this when Grandma Ife asked her to read something out of her notebook. I think what Atie said has a double meaning. After Sophie left her she didn't really have nothing to live for and she felt alone in the world. Because of that, she feels like her grandma's life is a burden to her because she feels forced to take care of her mother. So since Atie's feeling of having nothing to live for is the same as her being empty like she has nothing. When reading I felt bad for Sophie because she was going through a really tough time. It wis hard for her to forget what her mother did to her.

Breath, Eyes, Memory (Chpts. 7-12)

Breath, Eyes, Memory
By: Edwidge Danticat
Pages: 50-89

• Summary

Sophie's first day in New York is spent with her mother showing her a little around. Sophie gets to meet her mother's boyfriend, Marc, at dinner. Sophie's mother has to work hard to support herself and her family in Haiti. She shares her insecurities with Sophie about whether she had risen up to Sophie's expectations or not. She also shows her concern for Sophie and makes it known that it is her responsibility as her mother to make sure that Sophie stays a virgin.

During a talk between Sophie and her mother a secret is revealed. Sophie's mother had been raped in a cane field. Sophie then understands why she looks nothing like anyone in the family. Also the reasons behind her mother's nightmares is explained by this secret. Whenever Sophie's mother goes to sleep she sees his face over again and relives the frightful night.

Part 2

Years pass and Sophie and her mother moves to a house. Sophie is now 18 and is getting ready to go to college. During her years in the U.S. she did a lot of reading so she could speak without an accent.

Sophie fell in love at 18 with her neighbor. Her mother didn't approve of American boys because she thought he they were upset since they couldn't have Sophie. The person she fell in love with was much older than her and Sophie couldn't imagine her mother's approval for him. However, Sophie and Joseph got to know each other and wanted to get married. They got to spend a lot time together because Sophie's mother was always working.

Once Sophie tries telling her mother about Joseph. But Sophie ended up lying saying that she was in love with a Haitian man and was in Haiti. Sophie's mother used the last name Sophie gave her to find information on him. When her mother did Sophie began to panic.

One night Sophie went out with Joseph and when she came back home she didn't expect her mother to be there early and got caught. Sophie's mother was really worried and immediately guessed that she was with a guy. In order to see if Sophie was still a virgin her mother tested her which she passed. Testing is when the mother "would put her finger in our very private parts and see if it would go inside" (Danticat 60). After that experience Sophie understood why Tante Atie screamed when her mother had tested her as a child.

Sophie did not tell Joseph what happened. After the testings began, she and her mother rarely spoke to each other and Sophie felt all alone. So she used a pestle to stop the testings. The next time Martine, Sophie's mother, tested her Sophie failed and her mother got angry. Sophie left her home and went to Joseph before he left for Providence (since he was a musician he traveled a lot) and agreed to marry him.

• Quotation

"It took me two years to piece together my mother's entire story. By then, it was already too late" (Danticat 61).

• Reaction

This quote was said after Sophie found out that Martine was rapped which led to her pregnancy of Sophie. I think that later on Sophie is going to have a hard time understanding her mother. However, according to the quote she does figure things out later on. Maybe by the time Sophie figure things out something bad happens to her mother. I was very surprised to learn about the testing part. Maybe that was something a long time ago. I found it funny at one part of the book I've read so far. Marc, Martine , and Sophie were at a Haitian restaurant and an argument started. I thought it was funny because a typical Haitian restaurant you'd find a group of Haitian's arguing about the things that are happening in Haiti.

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.