The part that I found the most significant is when Martine tests Sophie’s virginity by making sure her hymen is intact. Martine tells Sophie Martine tells Sophie the story of the Marassas, two lovers who were so close that they were practically the same person “The love between a mother and daughter is deeper than the sea. You would leave me for an old man you dint know the year before… you are giving up a life time with me.” with this phrase Martine wanted to make it clear to Sophie that although they did not have such a strong relationship as a mother should have her with her ​​daughter. She loved her and care. Since Martine knew that Sophie felt so far away from her, even when they were so close.

One quote that really stands out to me is the one where ” My mother had somehow learned from someone at work that the Leogane Napoleons were poor but hard working clan” pg 78. Others can relate to this because it shows that Martine still has a lot of pull and know many things about the Haiti even though  she no longer lives there.

To continue Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat Sophie has been following all of the rules her mother gave her. Her mother wants her to practice religion, go to school and educate herself, and come straight home. Sophie has truly been an obedient daughter up to this point. Something that stood out throughout this chapter is Sophies infatuation with her neighbor Joseph. Joseph is a much older than Sophie which I find to be very creepy that Sophie likes him. However, being that Sophie’s mom has always been strict with Sophie telling her she can not date until the age of eighteen, or always expecting things for Sophie like her becoming a doctor, Sophie never really had the chance to live her life her way. So I believe now that a man is finally looking upon Sophie in a new way than anyone has ever, she is falling for him and falling in love. Joseph soon goes from stranger to lover to Sophie and they both seek ways to seeing each other as long as Sophies mother is not around. When Sophie mother finds out she likes a boy, she starts to perform ‘testings’ to Sophie to make sure she is still a virgin. Due to the hate that Sophie has against this performance of ‘testing’ she sacrifices and takes her own virginity. When Sophie mom finds this out she kicks Sophie out. I quickly wondered if Sophies mom even loved her to kick her only child out for something she caused?

In this part of the story Sophie is returning back to Hati after not being there for many years. Immediately we learn that Sophie is different, she is now a woman and a mom. However despite being American and marrying one Sophie is still very part of her Haitian culture and the focus became on the people she left behind. Sophie honors her grandmother by giving her a daughter he grandma’s name.

I was very excited when I learned that Sophie’s aunt could read now. I feel that this was something she was ashamed to do and it showed a great deal of development in this character.

West Indian parents often dream of having children with successful careers. That is their main goal and they will do anything to make it happen. When it comes to family relationships the treatment between daughter and son alters. They want to see their daughters in relationships with someone mature and successful. They expect the man to be in a position to provide for their daughters adequately.

Martine secretly spies on Sophie and finds out all of her secrets without Sophie’s knowledge consent. That’s what parents do when they suspect that something is going on with their child. Martine knew all of Sophie’s love secrets that were going on in between Sophie and Joseph. Despite that Sophie, who was an adult Martine,Sophie’s mother, would perform a Haitian test on her. This test would allow Martine, to see if Sophie was involved in sexual activity. This test seems to be more like a sexual strategy that Haitian mothers use. Haitian mothers utilize this strategy to prevent their daughters from having sex until the time is right (allegedly). After all of these restrictions and limitations on Sophie’s freedom that the mother put on her Sophie, she became rebellious. All Sophie wanted was to be with Joseph whom she desired the most. One night after the test, while Sophie’s mother was asleep, Sophie went to see Joseph’s house and demanded to get married. Sophie’s action shows how quickly a child can undergo a transformation. A transformation in which a child goes from appreciative to rebellious and will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

Mary Prince’s and I,Tituba’s Black Witch of Salem they both have a significant resemblance on how sex was important. In relation to this chapter and today’s society we all have parents who will seek the truth whether they ask or spy on us. Especially in relationships if they find out that the boy or girl is a bad influence or is no good. That is when the parents begin to limit their privileges. Once the child is fed up with these restrictions and unjustified laws they been set up. They begin to rebel against the mother or father and will break their rules just to get what he or she wants.

What stood out to me while reading chapters 9-12 in part two was when Martine started testing Sophie, because she came home late. I couldn’t believe what I was reading, it was so nasty. But, in chapter 11 Sophie and Martine’s relationship is crumbling down to where it was before. Martine is frightened of her girl growing up so, she falls back on her mother’s practice of “testing” or attempt to put her finger inside of Sophie to make sure she is still “whole”. But, didn’t she say she can have a boyfriend at 18? Between Martine and Sophie’s loss of virginity there are many differences. Martine was forcibly raped by a man she didn’t know. Whereas Sophie takes her own with an object. Sophie did it because she was dreaded from all of the “testing” just as her grandmothers testing  came to an end with Martine’s rape.

The trust between the mother and daughter has been lost. At first Sophie tells her mother that she likes a boy named Henry. Her mother goes into super mom mode and tells Sophie that she wants to meet him, meet his parents. Sophie lies and tells her mom that he went back to Hati . Eventually her mom finds out that it was a lie and let’s Sophie know there are things she cannot hide. After spending a night out with Joseph,  she comes homebto see her mother waiting for her. Her mother than begins to do the dreadful test on Sophie.  This turns Sophie into a completely new person. She is no longer comfortable with her mom and begins to turn from Joseph. This could be where Sophie’s life begins to enter the red stage. The stage where she needs to be stronger or simply the stage where she shows her loss of innocence.  Even though she herself took away her innocence.

I’m totally in shocked by what I read in the ending of chapter 12! I cannot believe Mattune actually tested Sophie. I had a feeling it would of eventually happen but I thought she was better than that. If she hated it when her own mother did it to her, why would she implicate that type of torture for someone else especially her daughter! I felt so bad for Sophie. She was forced to come to New York, leaving all her happiness and innocence for a place that has been nothing but agony. I find it very strange what she told Sophie as she was doing the test. It’s as if she expected Sophie to be by her side for the rest of her life, to not love, to not meet someone, and to not feel happiness. It seems like she wants her to feel what she felt as a child. What I said in my previous post about hoping that Sophie’s decisions not having an affect on her mother made me feel so disappointed. My new hopes is that Sophie gets treated well from the person she chose to marry.

While reading this novel, I come across something very vital in this scene. Eighteen- year old Sophie graduated from high school and is going to start college very soon. Her mother put her in Maranatha Bilingual Institution, but Sophie dislike it. The reason Sophie hated it because all of her classes are French aside from English and literature classes. In addition, the students from public school across the street were calling Sophie and her classmates racial names like “boat people” and “stinking Haitians.” I feel sad for Sophie because she felt like an outcast in New York City by other people who were xenophobic to her kind. In addition, I believe her mother was overprotective and very strict to her. Another scene that I found very significant, but confusing and disturbing was Sophie’s mother testing her. When Sophie’s mother was testing her, she noticed her daughter’s body trembling. It revealed Sophie failed the test and her mother angrily to tell to go Joseph. After the incident, Sophie to Joseph’s home and asked him to marry her. I feel extremely angry at Sophie’s mother for testing her body and not caring about what will happen to her when she goes to see Joseph.