This part of the text highlighted Sophie’s strength to me. It was great to see Sophie taking the steps to rid herself of her problems by attending the sexual phobia group and seeing a therapist.

“It was up to me to avoid my turn in the fire. It was up to me to make sure that my daughter never slept with ghosts, never lived with nightmares, and never had her name burnt in the flames.”

Sophie was now communicating with her mother, and she seemed to be more understanding. She was no longer hesitant to burn her mother’s name in the flame – which to me seemed like she was finally ready to let go of the grudge and all the hurt it was causing her. And most importantly, it showed that she was ready to break the cycle and never put Brigitte through the same predicament.

Sophie is becoming accustomed to the role of a wife while her mother on the other hand is becoming more and more mentally unstable. Her mother struggles with the pregnancy she starts seeing the rapist everywhere. She believes that she hears the baby is talking to her insulting her calling her names. She wants to have an abortion but was advised to give it 24 hours. Her mom sees the baby as evil and her rapist has so much power over her because he doesn’t have a face therefore she “sees” him everywhere. She believes her rapist left a piece of him inside of her and if she has the baby then there will be an evil inside of it. Her mother ultimately takes her own life attacking herself her child and her rapist. Both of there women saw their bodies as prisons and in their own way tried to free themselves from it.

Sophie is now 18 a time when life should be free and full of love. She has compleated her education and gone are the day when the children use to mocked her in the public school. Sophie has kept herself pure as her mother wanted and not becoming involved with any man. However, when her other moved to another neighborhood things began to change. Love was in the air for Sophie, she fell in love with Joseph and start seeing him without Martine consent. To hide her secret because she know her mother will not approve of Joseph, Sophie invented a boy friend that will match the status Martine will approve of.  Martine want to be in total control of Sophie life. Let hope that instead of war that peace rain between mother and daughter.

while reading these chapters Sophie is grown up and is in her teenage years. As most teenagers, she is going through the stage where she doesn’t listen to her mom when she wants to do what ever she wants.she is going through the rebellious phase. she meets this boy named joseph her mother doesnt want her seeing him but sophie sneaks out to see him anyway. during the chapter sophie ask her mom is it okay to see other boys, her mother begins to ask questions about the boy like who is he. sophie is caught coming home late from being with joseph, her mother then gives her the “test” but sophie finds her way around it and doesnt take it

We are introduced to two characters. Tantie Atie and Sophie, Sophie is Tante Atie’s niece. At the time she is young and living in the Caribbean. Sophie does not live with her mother. One piece which I found interesting was on Page 11. When the dialogue shifts into her thoughts. Sophie shifts into ” Tante Atie said that the way these potlucks started was really a long time ago in the hills.” This piece of dialogue is very interesting because Sophie seems to know so much about the culture of this place. It also describes that people would create this potluck in order to help each other out. This seems to help us understand the culture and the friendliness of the neighbors.

At this point Sophie has moved to The United States after a very bitter good bye to Antie Tate, and is now with her mother. Sophie then gets to know her mother and enters her apartment. Sophies first discover is a picture of her mother her and Tantie Atie. She says ” I did not look like them when I was a baby and I did not look like them now” This piece of text is important because it helps us understand that she is beginning to question her existence and foreshadowing the bitter truth about what her existence is about.