Breath, Eyes, Memory Analysis

There is a huge contrast between Sophie's home in Haiti and Martine's in New York. Sophie notes the difference in the colors—the vibrant greens and reds of her homeland versus the monochromatic p...

Breath, Eyes, Memory is essentially an emotional journey and Sophie's story, so it's not surprising that Danticat chooses to narrate the entire work from Sophie's point of view. Since the work has...

This work centers around the semi-autobiographical (though definitely fictional) Caco family. While Danticat's primary focus is on Sophie, it isn't possible to tell her story without getting up in...

For all the drama that takes place in this work—the nightmares, the episodes of self-harming, the violent death and traumatic burial—Danticat keeps her prose even and detached. Sophie observes...

Danticat covers a lot of distance in the course of this book, so you can bet that she's economical with her prose. But there are moments when she stretches out and shows us her poetic side. This ge...

The title of this work comes from the very last reflection in the book on Haiti:I come from a place where breath, eyes, and memory are one, a place from which you carry your past like the hair on y...

Danticat ends her work with Sophie's reflection on her relationship with the land of her mothers. She reflects on the complexity of her home culture: the magic of its stories and mythology, the clo...

Danticat's debut novel deals with some super-heavy themes: abuse, rape, political instability/injustice, poverty, and mental illness. But if you can hang in there, you'll be swept away by her flowi...

Tante Told Me Not To Come...Once Tante Atie refuses that Mother's Day card from young Sophie, the game is on: we know that there's a special family situation that's going to cause some major tensio...

Although Sophie's early life appears to go well—she's raised by a loving auntie and a grandma who say all the right things and cook all the right food—she's summoned by her mother to a new and...

Sophie journeys from Haiti to the U.S. to be with Martine. Sophie takes up with Joseph and is caught out by Martine. She elopes with Joseph after Martine begins the virginity tests—and the mother...

Danticat worked with Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme to produce The Agronomist, which won best documentary at the Gotham Awards in 2004. Take that, Batman. (Source) Danticat has acted...

Disclaimer: we're giving this rating to Breath, Eyes, Memory not for sex, but for sexual violence. There's nothing "steamy" happening here—this isn't full of the hot n' heavy stuff you like to re...

ErzulieShango (called "Papa Shango")François "Papa Doc" DuvalierJean Claude "Baby Doc" DuvalierTonton MacoutesMiles DavisCharlie Parker"Motherless Child" (Negro spiritual)