Analyzing the Setting of a CSEC Story

BREATH, EYES, MEMORY -     BY EDWIDGE DANTICAT

The novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory tells the story of a Haitian girl, Sophie Caco. She is a child of rape and as the novel progresses she learns to deal with her mother's trauma and experiences motherhood. This novel shows how the customs and traditions of a country can affect the way someone grows into an adult. Some major themes of the story are trauma, migration, patriarchy, and womanhood.

The story takes place in Croix Des Rosets, Haiti during the 1980s. The Duvalier Regime was occurring during this time in Haiti. During this time period, Francois Duvalier and his son, Jean Claude Duvalier ruled Haiti under dictatorship. Ton Ton Macoutes were thugs loyal to them and were used to keep any opposition towards Francois and his son under control. Ton Ton Macoutes had the freedom to rape, torture, and murder whoever they pleased. Martine, Sophie's mom, was raped by one of them. From knowing what went on in Haiti at this time, an idea can form of how the setting affects the characters and their actions. In the 1980s women were still told that their worth depended on if they were a virgin, wife, and mother. Their voices were silenced and they were expected to do as the men said.

Martine, Tantie Atie, and Sophie were all tested because, during this time, women were seen as a vessel for honor and purity for their families. They all had the inability to speak up for what they wanted. Women were robbed of their education because they were forced to stay at home in the kitchen where they "belonged". Their potential were wasted behind house chores. Even if they were given a chance to have an education and pursue a career, they could not. As a result of the Duvalier regime, the country was kept in poverty and illiteracy, so it would be nearly impossible to grant these females a different life. In addition to this, girls were in danger of being raped by Ton Ton Macoutes, this is exactly what happened to Martine. 

Sophie migrated to New York when she was 12 years old to live with her mother. During the 1990s in New York, racism was very prevalent and there were a lot of immigrants coming to America. Being a person of colour living in New York in the 1990s, Sophie was subjected to racial remarks and stereotypes. Some stereotypes listed in the book were that Haitians had body odour and the "Four Hs" got AIDS—Heroin addicts, Hemophiliacs, Homosexuals, and Haitians. New York was a dull, gray, depressive place whereas, Haiti was home and a place of memories for Sophie. It was the place Sophie needed to revisit to find herself again. For Martine, it was a place of bad memories and trauma and New York was her escape. 

In conclusion the setting of the story; country and time directly affected the characters and their actions in Breath, Eyes, Memory. Living in Haiti gave Sophie a sense of freedom and happiness, but in New York felt as though she were caged. Moving countries and living in a new environment either had a negative or a positive effect on them. The setting also saddened the mood of the story which aided in making the story very realistic.