In this section of reading, we get to see Martine’s side to why she tested Sophie in New York. She states that she only did it because her mother did it to her. In my opinion, that is not a good enough reason. She claims that raped stopped her from getting tested, so it should of been obvious that Sophie would of seeked out a way to stop it also. It saddens me that she makes it seem like it’s a tradition to do that, especially when she knows it caused a great deal of pain in her life… To know that it has been haunting her her entire life. Sophie had to suffer her purity just to leave it all, and unlike her, she did not have control over what made the testing stop. For a mother, she should of been more responsible to keep her protected. Yes, in the outside view of it all, testing would of been a way for her to stay safe, but that’s the wrong way of going about the situation even if that’s all you knew in your life. Maybe it’s because we are in the 21st century, but the pain she dealt with should of been enough reason to stop that “tradition.”

In this section of the novel (20-27) sophie was still in haiti when i started reading again. She is still with Tante Atie and her grandmother too. They recive a casset player which is from Sophies mother and she is concerned on where sophie is and also lets her know that joseph is looking for her too. Sophie and atie reflect and think about the time they lost together. I was shocked to read the part about sophies mothers past, and it was more shocking to read that she tried to kill herself. At one point in the story, Sophie was talking with her family members about the tests women go through. Atie said each finger had a purpose and as she was naming off the purposes it started to remind me of the short story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, based off the way that story was told and the way atie was speaking which was a nice connection.

In chapters 20-27 I noticed that Sophie starts to look more into her family. For example she looks more into her past of how her mom grew up and how her dad was dressed in a way you cant identify him. So to conclude that statement Sophie’s father was a dead beat dad. Next her mother appears to her after two years of hiding from her. When the both reunite, they both feel tension among one another. Then Sophie’s grandmother went and told her how it cursed the family to know that mother daughter can’t be enemies from each other for too long.

One interesting part was when Sophie and Martine started talking to each other even though Sophie was stubborn when her grandmother told her to get close to her mother. Sophie didn’t move but her mother did. I felt that Sophie’s mother was feeling guilty or I don’t know but she really wanted peace with Sophie and forget about the past. In one part of the story Martine said “I want to be your friend, your very very good friend, because you saved my life many time when you woke me up from those nightmares.” It felt like if Martine own so much to Sophie that she feels bad that they haven’t speak in long time even though Sophie was writing letter to het but Martine never replied. This was the moment that was the most meaningful to me because I believe everybody have been in this situation when we get mad to our parents or vice versa and we feel guilty even if we didn’t cause the problem.

Based on what I have read Sophie is still in Haiti. During her time there Sophie had many discussions with her family members about the test and why women go through it. Tante Atie stated that “men insist that their women are virgins and have their ten fingers, Atie would then explain that each finger had a purpose “mothering, boiling, loving, baking, nursing, frying, healing, washing, ironing, scrubbing”.  This was the way Atie was taught in order to prepare herself to become a women. This sentence reminded me of the class discussion we had on Tuesday about how women where often seen as tools or objects by men. Another moment in the book that showed me that women where just seen as objects by men was the story the grandmother told about the “extremely rich man who married a poor black girl”. In their culture its seems to be very important that a man married a women who is untouched (virgin) or else the man’s honor and reputation would  be relinquish. The rich cared so much about  his reputation that he cut his soon to be wife between the legs so he can prove to the people in the town that she was a virgin, later on his actions against her would result in her death. When Sophie ask her grandma “why mothers put their daughters through the test” I was able to learn that if the daughter doesn’t pass the test not just her but the mother as well would be thought of as a disgrace, also the test in some type of way is preparing the daughter for a husband. Another moment I found interesting was when Sophie built up the courage to ask her mom “why you put me through those tests”. The mothers respond “because my mother had done it to me”, wasn’t really a shocker for me because I already had a feeling that the “test” was some type of family tradition.

The significant moment that I found in the reading is when Tante Atie got the leeches for the lump that she had in her calf. She puts the leech on her skin as a means to heal her and stop the pain that she is in by removing her blood. I think that the moment is significant because Sophie witnesses this and she states that she can feel her head spinning and her stomach tuning inside out. I believe this is because she witnessed all the blood that the leeches were sucking out of Tante Atie, it could be that she thinks that all this blood was a waste, as she had wasted her own blood with the pestle. We read early in the text where she herself lost her own blood in a different manner when she used to pestle on herself. Or maybe she looked at the leeches as something small but was able to pull so much blood from Tante atie, in contrast to the pestle that might have seemed to her a small act to inflict on herself but in the end caused huge outcomes as it gave her freedom and the chance for her to be with Joseph.

This reading continued with Sophie in Haiti, along with Tante Atie, (who is starting to act different) and with Grandmother Ifé. The reading picks up when Martine says she doesn’t know where Sophie is, and has been contacted by Joseph that he doesn’t know where she is either, meaning, Sophie has told no one that she was going to Haiti. A question that is raised is ‘Why would Sophie leave without telling Joseph?’. When Martine arrives in Haiti, Sophie is tense and does not want to approach her, and Martine tells her family that she will only be in Haiti for 3 days. Something that stuck out to me during this reading were 3 things. 1 was describing what would happen if a male child, or a female child was born. If a male child was born, then there would be a light on, however, if a female was born, the mother would have to walk in darkness. Light can be used as a symbol for freedom, and hope, meaning that females are born with no freedom and no hope. Another thing that stuck out was the story where the man had cut open the female because he wanted her to bleed during her first time, but she didn’t. It shows that a man would kill a woman, to prove to others that she is pure, for his own sake. The last thing that stuck out to me was when Martine was telling Sophie why she had tested her. What stuck out to me was when Martine said that when she was raped, she was happy the testing stopped. This only proves how much torture being tested was to these women. If you would gladly get your “freedom” through rape, what kind of torture were you enduring before. This can be seen from both the eyes of Martine, and Sophie.

In the beginning of these chapters, Sophie is given a cassette from her mother and learns that although she has disconnected from Martine, Martine has sent money showing that she still cares for Sophie and wishes to reconcile with her. Sophie’s husband, Joseph, and her mother Martine are both concerned about her whereabouts and this may indicate that Sophie may want to reconnect in the future. Sophie also makes the connection with the Macoutes and the possibility of how she was conceived. Sophie also tries to forget about the past and the hymen test that was given to her by Martine. This is rather difficult because she can’t erase those memories that have turned into nightmares. Furthermore, Sophie has an in depth conversation about the tests with Grandmother Ife and the purpose of these tests. When Martine comes to Haiti, Sophie uses this opportunity to confront her mother about the tests. Martine does not give an apology but gives an explanation instead. We learn that Martine’s nightmares might not only be from the rape but also from the tests. However, Martine is thankful for Sophie when she wakes her up from her nightmares. The constant reminder of these tests in the text shows the reader how Danticat feels about this “tradition”.

The part that stood out to me was when Tante Atie was talking about the role of women on page 151, she was explaining how each of the ten fingers on her hands represented something for women, “Mothering. Boiling. Loving. Baking. Nursing. Frying. Healing. Washing. Ironing. Scrubbing.” And that is how the way she’s brought up and probably many women. It is very oppressive because it makes women seem like objects only meant to serve men. It’s scary the obsession for women to be this perfect (almost caricature-like) housewife figures. The extent the mothers go through for their daughters to be perfect is very frightening too, like the testing to see if the hymen is not broken even though the mothers themselves hated being tested. It is like women should aspire to be with men when men get to do whatever they want and have sex with as plenty of girls they want to and it’s just not fair.

While reading chapters 20 through 27 I found it interesting how Martine was so quick to throw Sophie out and it took her two years to even reach out to her own daughter she worked hard to get to New York. So, now Martine has reached out and is worried about Sophie. Also, I find it interesting how Sophie doesn’t look like any of her family members but the result of her mothers rape & Grandme Ife feels as though Bridgette looks like generations of ancestors. In Chapter 21 you find out that Martine attempted suicide many times and Sophie unable to forget about her mother testing her every time she sleeps with her husband. Both of them have tried to forget by fleeing the place of hurt. Skipping to chapters 24-27 Martine has now shown up. She kind of brings closure to a lot of things happening. Sophie’s trip from Haiti to Martine at 12 years old has come back now by Martine’s own trip to Sophie in Haiti eight years later. Haiti is important because Martine must go home to make peace with her past. Martine and Tante Atie’s conversation is sensing betrayal.