In the section of the reading between chapters twenty and twenty-seven, I discover something very significant scene in this novel. The scene was Joseph trying to reach Sophie after calling the apartment phone number. It revealed that Joseph left Sophie and his daughter, Bridgette because he went on a musical tour. Sophie was very nervous about seeing Joseph after he was gone for months. This scene was very significant because it reminded me of a would-be lover that I knew since day camp who have been in the United States Navy for like a month. Another significant scene from the novel was Sophie reuniting with her mother, Martine. Sophie was surprised to her mother because she was different than before. In addition, Martine was very skinny, young and healthy. Also, Martine was more happier than before because she was very strict to Sophie. For example, letting her not see boys and always doing her schoolwork everyday.

One interesting part of these chapter is when Grandmè Ifé said “You must know that everything a mother does, she does for her child’s own good. You cannot always carry the pain. You must liberate yourself….My heart, it weeps like a river for the pain we have caused you.” it suggests that any true liberation must begin with physical freedom, with a woman’s reclaiming of her body as her own. The woman’s body is assigned piecewise to duties and tasks, every bit put to the service of the family’s honor.

One quote that stands out to me is the “Who invented the Macoutes? The devil didn’t do it and God didn’t do it”. This shows the confusion the Auntie Atie add and Martine was struggling with. However in the end she was not able to conquer her demons.

Throughout chapters 20-27 there was a significant moment that really stood up to me. This significant moment reminded me of the role women played during the 1860s.  The moment that stood up to me was when Tante Atie, was talking about the role of women and how each of the ten fingers on her hands represented something for women. Each individual finger represented “Mothering, boiling, loving, baking, nursing, frying, healing, washing, ironing, and scrubbing.” It’s very oppressive because women only appear to be objects who were designed to only serve men.  Back in the day where women weren’t treated equally as men they had no control. Women had no rights at all the men made all the decisions and the women had to obey them.

As I continued reading the novel Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat chapters 20-27 I was extremely surprised that Sophie’s mother, Martine has come to Haiti. I was even more surprised that she had planned for Sophie to take her back to New York City within three days to be with her husband. I found this very hypocritical of Sophie’s mother, Martine. The reason I say this is because the entire time Sophie spent in New York with her mother raising her, her mothers spent all of those years keeping Sophie pure, and away from men. Martine did not allow Sophie to think of men, breathe near men, or even look at men. So because of this it shocked me that all of a sudden because Sophie has a child with a man it is now her duty to be at his every beck-and-call. It proves that Martine still believed that a wife is to be compliant with her husband, and be only dedicated to him. Now, when I see that Martine tries to take back Sophie is proves that she has a lot of growing to do, and it made me curious to know if she will ever change as I further continued to read.

I kind of found humor in the story of the rich man and the poor girl. Even though it was a sad ending what made it humorous was that he was so concerned with what people thought of him that he seeked for a woman that was untouched and then improvised when he found out she wasnt. His self centeredness and ego led to the death of his wife just because of his desire to have her blood. Thinking about it, its just nasty and gross the extent at which he went to just to show off that he was the first one. I guess he got what he deserved and thats what i find funny that she didnt give him what he wanted but sad that her death had to occur because of it.

Within this section of the reading the part that stood out to me was on page 149 where Sophie offered to cook and when she was asked what she is going to cook, she said her mothers favorite meal. I felt like this stood out to me because it showed the effect her mom still had on her, which is shown more when her mother does come back to haiti to get her. this part showed that even though she was upset with her mother for the thngs she put her through she still lived for her mother to make her proud and help her even when shes not there. when I was growing up and i first learned to make my mothers favorite dish, which was baked ziti, whenever i made it my motives was to make her feel proud of me, to show her i can do what she does and im not a kid anymore, and to be able to help her when she cant make it. Another part that stood out to me was the arrival of her mother. this stood out to me because as she saw her mother the tension within herself buillt up, and as her mother approached her there was obvious tension between them to the point where the grandmother started to become angry because she wouldn’t go to her mother. It stood out to me because it shows the complexity of a mother daughter relationship in the caribean. that no matter what youre parents do to you to upset you or do wrong by you, if you do not greet your parent when they enter your presence it will seem as if your’e being disrespectful. I do feel that at times caribbean parents and even grandparents don’t understand that as the child we do get hurt and feel emotions. And at this moment i felt that the grandmother was ignoring how sophie felt and her emotions but her mother understood and took the step to bettering their relationship.

Martine made great effort to reunite with Sophie while she was spending time with Grandmother Ife and Tante Atie in Haiti. I found the moment strange after Martine avoided communication with her daughter for a long time. Sophie’s mother used the opportunity to make arrangements to fulfill Grandma Ife’s wish upon her death. Also to take care of other family legal matters, to make up with her daughter, and to meet her granddaughter all in one trip.

Sophie had the opportunity to ask her mother why did she have tested her the ways she did. Her mother did not have quite a good answer but told Sophie that she had to go through it as well when she was a child. Sophie’s mother told her that she had to live with the memories of both testing she received and the rape she endure (pg.170)

As you keep reading you see more problems rising. Sophie left Joseph and he has no clue where she is. Neither does her mom for all her mother knows Sophie is dead. When Sophie’s grandmother hears this message you can tell she’s someone surprised and fed up with the fact that Sophie and her mom still don’t communicate. Later on another part stood out to me the most was when auti and Sophie were siting talking about society and men in general. It sounds auti is tired of the traditional role of a female in society . She just thinks all they are good for is to cook clean and please men because that’s what society sees. I feel like this is why she left her husband she was sick of playing this traditional role so she went to a place where she didn’t have too. She went home so she can be herself.

Previously, the book portrayed Martine as cold and distant from Sophie. What I liked about this part of the reading was the change in her character.

When Martine walked towards Sophie instead it seemed like a humble act to me. After two years of ignoring her daughter, probably being face to face with her made her finally cave. She finally met her granddaughter who she seemed to love ever before meeting her – after all she did keep every picture Sophie sent.

“You and I, we started wrong, you are now a woman, with your own house. We are allowed to start again.”  Even though Martine didn’t say ‘sorry’ outright, I think she really did regret everything that happened between herself and Sophie and wanted to be a part of her daughter’s life again.