Sophie Caco lives in Haiti with her grandmother and aunt. One day Sophie’s mother, who is currently located in New York, sends a cassette tape requesting for Sophie to come live with her in New York. Sophie is devastated and does not want to leave her Aunt, a mother to her. However, Sophie must obey the wishes of her biological mother. In New York, Sophie discovers the long line of pain rooted in her family. Sophie’s only way to mollify the pain is to return to Haiti and visit the people who raised her. Sophie’s journey teaches her that although she may not be able to fix the past, she can determine her future.

Edwidge Danticat's life story in many ways parallels Sophie's life experiences in Breath, Eyes, Memory. Danticat was born on January 19, 1969 in Port au Prince, Haiti. She lived with her aunt and uncle up until the age of twelve, when she moved to Brooklyn to live with her father Andre and mother Rose who had already been living in the city for ten years.

Reading helped Danticat transition and adapt to her new home in Brooklyn, as she found the move somewhat difficult. Danticat acquired a deep love for novels when she felt "completely between languages", speaking both Creole and French while learning English. Danticat explains the frustration through Sophie's character: "Part of the reason that Breath, Eyes, Memory is told in these four fragments is that Sophie, the narrator, is a recent speaker of English, and in telling a story in English she would definitely try to be economical with her words. . . . She would mostly get to the important events, right to the point."

After graduating from Barnard College in New York City with a BA in French Literature, Danticat received a Master of Fine Arts Degree from Brown University. Her thesis for her Masters was Breath, Eyes, Memory. Her work is widely acclaimed and won many prestigious awards, including a 1994 Fiction Award, a 1995 Woman of Achievement Award from Barnard College, and a 1996 Best Young American Novelist Award for Breath, Eyes, Memory.

Danticat finds working in silence and taking walks to focus her thoughts the best way to start a writing. In this way she is able to best convey her Haitian past and explain her multi-cultural and multi-lingual upbringing.

Haitian Migration

The migration from Haiti to the United States began in earnest during the 1950s. In the beginning, the people leaving the island were the middle and upper class (consisting of skilled workers such as doctors, lawyers, and engineers). This created the feeling that “All the brains leave the country” as Marc said in the restaurant (page 54). From the 1960’s to 80’s, Haitian citizens from the lower classes also left for the United States. Included in this were the infamous “boat people”, lower class citizens that were usually from small towns. They could not afford plane tickets, so instead traveled to the U.S in boats. Over all it is estimated that over one million entry visas were issued to Haitians during this time period.

Once in the United States, members of the Haitian-American community send wire cash transfers of approximately $600 million back to Haiti every year. For their families in Haiti, this money is very important, and is used to pay the costs of education, health care, housing, and other basic necessities.

The Emotional Impact of Pregnancy after Rape

The gestation period of pregnancy for many women is a time of celebration of their changing body and hopes for the future. For other women who find themselves pregnant following a sexual assault they may feel overwhelmed. For these women reclaiming power and control over their life through information and support is of paramount concern.

For many women the emotional and psychological impact of rape creates Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and symptoms are often exacerbated when the victim/survivor gives birth. Pregnancy following rape is more likely to lead to inner conflicts for women about deciding whether to keep the child or not. Long term effects may include depression, as many women may blame themselves, and experience feelings of shame and guilt that can then project onto their growing child.

Grief issues surrounding pregnancy following rape may arise in relation to the women's decision about whether to keep her child or to have a termination.

With the support of family and friends, many women are able to overcome the psychological and emotional trauma and maintain a healthy relationship with their child.

Taken from Pregnancy after Rape

Farming of the Bones

After the Dance: A Walk Through Carnival in Jacmel

Krik?Krak!

The Dew Breaker

Anacaona, Golden Flower, Haiti, 1490

Behind the Mountains

Rainy Season: Haiti since Duvalier by Amy Wilentz

Butterfly's Way: Voices from the Haitian Dyaspora in the United States Edited by Edwidge Danticat

Haitians: Migration and Diasporaby Anthony Catanese

Sucking Salt: Caribbean Women Writers, Migration, and Survivalby Meredith M. Gadsby

Walking on Fire: Haitian Women's Stories of Survival and Resistance Beverly Bell; foreword by Edwidge Danticat

Mother-Daughter Wisdom: Creating a Legacy of Physical and Emotional Health by Christiane Northrup M.D

1. This book is largely about mother/daughter relationships. Although Sophie's mother seems to want the best for her daughter and works to create a new life for her daughter, she simply cannot let go of the past. Discuss ways in which this is present in the work. For instance: Why do you think Sophie's mother insists on "testing" her daughter just like she was tested?

2. After exploring the question above, what cultural dilemmas do Sophie and her mother endure? How do you think Sophie's identity was twisted or changed after living with her grandmother in Haiti and her mother in city? Does this affect any of the decisions Sophie makes about her own future? Possibly discuss Sophie's feelings towards the Maranatha Bilingual Institution.

3. A lot of this book is about women, sex, and marriage. Discuss the mother's nightmares, Sophie, and Joseph. Do you think Sophie's identity revolves around her attitude towards sex? Or do you think her mother's identity revolves around her own attitude towards sex?

Part 1

1. What is the significance of the color (yellow) of everything Sophie owns?

2. Does Sophie’s mother expect her to do too much?

3. Is it possible for Sophie to raise her family’s heads?

4. What is the difference between bring her mother’s daughter and Tante Atie’s child?

5. Why did Tante Atie lose her fight/spirit?

6. Why doesn’t Sophie’s mother look in her face often?

7. What demands would Marc make that Sophie’s mother wouldn’t be able to fulfill?

8. Why is it the mother’s responsibility to keep her daughter pure?

9. Why does Sophie’s mother decide to tell her about her rape?

10. Why is there no resemblance between Sophie and her mother?

11. What is wrong with Sophie’s aspirations to her mother and Marc?

Part 2

1. Why has Sophie never dared to dream?

2. What is the difference between what a person wants and what is good for them?

3. Is the idea of being a wanderer very American?

4. Why can’t Sophie tell her mother she loves her?

5. What is the significance of the Marassas story?

Part 3

1. Why has Sophie returned?

2. Are a mother’s issues inheritable?

3. Why is the family afraid of the dark?

4. Why can’t Sophie enjoy sex?

5. After what they have been through, are Martine and Sophie allowed to start over again?

Part 4

1. Why is it a surprise that Martine can get pregnant?

2. Does Joseph really understand what is going on with Sophie?

3. Is it possible for Martine to have the baby and not go insane?

4. Why does Sophie blame Marc? In her mind, was Marc supposed to protect Martine?

5. What is the significance of these quotes- 1. “I tried to destroy you, but you wouldn’t go away”, 2. “You don’t marry someone to escape something that’s in your head”, 3. “What if I never get fixed?”

1.Sophie states she is her “mother’s daughter and Tante Atie’s child” (pg 49). What classifies someone as someone else’s mother? Must they have come from that person’s womb to be considered a mother? Who do you consider Sophie’s mother and why?

2.“You have a chance to become the kind of woman Atie and I always wanted to be. If you make something of yourself in life, we will all succeed. You can raise our heads”(pg 44). Has your mother ever placed pressure on you to succeed? Did it drive you to receive the best education and become the best overall person, or did it place too much pressure on you, causing you to become frustrated with the impossible expectations?

3.Sophie’s mother wants her to become a doctor, while Sophie wants to be a secretary. Her mom states, “You are going to be a doctor” (pg 56). Is it right for her mother to be steering her in a certain career path? Or, is it better she becomes a doctor rather than a secretary? What influences do your mother’s opinions have on your decisions?

4.“I have heard it compared to a virginity cult, our mothers’ obsession with keeping us pure and chaste” (pg 154). Is it the mother’s role to keep her daughter pure? Do these mothers value their daughter’s purity too much? Is it a realistic expectation?

5.“It’s hard for women to raise girls alone” (pg 157). What are the differences between raising a son/daughter? It is easier or harder to raise one over the other? Could you imagine raising your daughter/have you raised your daughter on your own?

6.What does Sophie’s mother’s inability to understand her eating disorder suggest about her ability to understand Sophie as a person? Is there a culture barrier that exists between the mother and daughter? How would your mother react to you having an eating disorder compared to the way Sophie’s mother reacted?

7.“When I was pregnant with you, Manman made me drink all kinds of herbs, vervain, quinine, and verbena, baby poisons. I tried beating my stomach with wooden spoons, I tried to destroy you, but you wouldn’t go away” (pg 190). Evaluate Sophie’s mother. What key mother traits is she missing? Describe how you felt during your pregnancy compared to how Sophie’s mother feels while being pregnant.

8.How do you think Brigitte will turn out? Will Sophie break the cycle of abuse? How does the way your mother raise you affect the way you raise your children?

9.“Sometimes I feel like a motherless child” (215). How do all the generations of women feel like motherless children? What events classify them as motherless children?

10.“There is always a place where, if you listen closely in the night, you will hear your mother telling a story and at the end of the tale, she will ask you this question: Are you free, my daughter?” (pg 234). Are Sophie, her mother, Brigitte, and Tante Atie all free? Will they ever all be free? What does this line mean to you and how do you interpret it?