Breath, Eyes, Memory
“The Marassas were two inseparable lovers. They were the same person, duplicated in two. They looked the same, talked the same, and walked the same. When you love someone, you want him to be closer than your Marassas; you want him to be your soul. The love between a mother and a daughter is deeper than the sea. You and I could be like Marassas (pg. 85 Danticat).” That is what Sophie’s mom said to her when she found out that Joseph proposed to Sophie. This Quote demonstrates how deep the love Martine has for Sophie. Breath, Eyes, Memory is a Novel about a girl named Sophie who is taken from her mother when she is just a baby. She lives in Haiti with her grandmother and Atie. Through her life she deals with trying to find herself and her reason for being on earth.
The title of the novel explains a lot about the theme of the book. Breath, eyes, memory is about the past, present, and future. Often people keep memories close to them because it once made them happy, but they might also keep memories because of how much pain it caused them. When Sophie is taken away from her mother as a baby, she remembers seeing a picture of her mother and wanting to crawl into the picture to be next to her, she longed for her mother’s love. I enjoyed this part because it shows how much Sophie wanted to be with her mother and that she loved her. In ways I can relate because my mother was ill since I was a child and there were many times I wished I could do certain things with her, but knew I couldn’t. While reading this novel I realized that past has to do a lot with who a person becomes in the future. All the things you go through make you who you are today.
The Essay on Love Heart Eyes Don
~Let Me In~My heart aches when you speak of her. I know it hasn't been so long. I understand it's hard. Her name on your lips Is like a blade to my heart. I know you love her. Must you remind me? I don't blame you. She was your life for a long time. All you had... All you wanted. Now she's gone. Memories are all you have of her. And memories are harsher than reality. I don't envy you. I have felt ...
“I call it humiliation. I hate my body. I am ashamed to show it to anybody, including my husband. Sometimes I feel like I should be off somewhere by myself. (pg. 123 Danticat)” Sophie is saying this as she talks to her grandmother. She still carries the pain of when her mother use to test her. Danticat suggest in her novel that most Haitian mothers test their daughters to make sure they stay pure till marriage. This quote shows the impact the test had on Sophie. Because her mother tried to keep her pure it now prevents her from feeling comfortable to any one’s touch. Martine thought by doing this she was protecting her. But it has a deeper meaning to it. Too much love can sometimes be deadly. Many people fail to realize that when you are over protective with your child it pushes them away even more and may cause them to try things just because they know there not suppose to. Now Sophie feels disgusted with herself, she will always have this memory with her.
I enjoyed reading this novel because I felt that I could relate to the main character in some ways. Sophie went through a lot of hardships in her life. She was conceived through rape, so when she was baby she stayed in Haiti while her mother left to the U.S. She loved her life in Haiti , but that suddenly it all changed when her mother sent her a cassette telling her that she wanted Sophie to come live with her in New York. That is when her life changed. Her mother expected to much from her. She wanted her to become a doctor even though Sophie wanted to be a secretary. She could not talk to boys, but soon enough she was 18 years old and her mother could no longer control her “ I heard him playing his keyboard as I lay awake in bed. The notes and scales were like raindrops, teardrops, torrents. I felt the music rise and surge, tightening every muscle in my body. Then I relaxed, letting it go, feeling a rush that I knew I wasn’t suppose to feel.(pg. 76 Danticat)” This was an interesting quote from the novel because though Sophie had not experienced many things she still has feelings as any person would. I can relate to the main character Sophie in many way because we both grew up in strict households and were both also are quiet, but have a lot on our minds. In a lot of the novel Sophie is thinking to herself.
The Essay on Abortion And Ethics Mothers Life
Abortion Question What would happen if I were to walk into a crowded restaurant and opened fire on the people inside, killing one Well, more than likely I would be hauled off to jail and sentenced for murder. If murder is illegal then how come everyday women are continually having abortions What is the difference between abortion and murder both of them involve taking the life of a living human ...
I enjoyed Danticat’s style of writing because it has a lot to do with the characters life and things they have bed room and also if they overcome them or still deal with it. Through out the book all the characters go through times when they remember a certain memory and they either feel happiness or pain. In one part of the book Sophie explains how at night she would wait for her mother to have one of her nightmares. She would hear her mother screaming then would run over to wake her up and every time she did this her mother would looked so frightened and say “ Sophie, you’ve saved my life.” Right there you can notice that Martine still holds onto her pain of
when she was raped and had gotten pregnant with Sophie. This was an interesting part because it would make you think if Martine regrets having Sophie because after so many years she still has nightmares.
I would recommend Breath, Eyes, Memory for anyone who enjoys reading a novel with suspense, drama and love. Many people would be able to relate to this novel because it talks about issues that people deal with in their everyday lives.
