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.

One quote that really stands out to me was ” Around us were dozens of other people trying to squeeze all their love into small packets to send back home”. This scene reminds me of me and my family as well because when it comes to sending things back home, we all ways try to send as much as possible because we know they do not have the same income like we do in the U.S.

I really enjoy this book out of the others I feel that this book has alot of foreshadowing scenes which leads to several plots. Going towards the end of the book i kind of knew that Sophie’s mother was going to commit suicide. She gave ideas as in how she wanted her grave set up and where she wanted it placed. The next amazing part I found out that after sophie has gotten older she goes back to New York and re bonded with her mom. I felt like that moment was what her mom wanted from the beginning. Then going back to the very end i feel like Sophie can finally move on with her life as an adult and she will always remember her mother, from the experience and what she was taught. I also feel that she would have a few regrets wishing whats she could have done to prevent her mothers death.

After reading the end of the story Breath, Eyes, Memory I reflect back on the events of the story and how i looked at each character is way different now. For example with matrine I used to not think much of her but after she died it really who her character was and what she was supposed to symbolize became more clear to me. It was very sad that she died the way she did and after all she had been through. Sophie matured a lot from this loss and the readers are able to see that she has alot of love for her mother despite not being able to show it before. Personally, I had a feeling something bad would happen to someone and I was thinking Tante Atie would be the unfortunate one but I felt bad for Matrine when I realized it was her that was gonna die. The section of the ending that mentioned “a place where wind blows through trees and it sounds like songs” was interesting and seemed very cryptic in my opinion.

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.

Throughout the novel, there was this one moment which really shocked me. Everything was becoming clear for Sophie and secretes the mother kept from Sophie were revealed. Sophie and her mother Martine, started to overcome their differences. They began to develop a mother and daughter bondage like all parents would. Everything was going all good, up until Sophie was informed that her mother was pregnant. Due to her mother’s pregnancy Sophie became a reliable resource for Martine. It also brought them even closer because it made the mother and daughter bondage even stronger. Martine, was dependent on Sophie because she was in a process of giving birth to a child. Martine suddenly undergoes a psychotic state which she recalls the rape that traumatized her all her life. Now that Martine, is traumatized she commits suicide by stabbing herself 17 times in the stomach.  Now that Martine is gone Sophie is now a free and independent woman. Sophie believes that she’s about to begin a new chapter in life. Although freedom has very different ideas especially in America and Haiti. In America freedom is based upon Material, Knowledge, and growth. In Haiti freedom is based upon loyalty, family, friendship, culture, and respect.

Now that I have reached the ending of novel Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat I have a very different view for each character in the novel then I did from first begging the novel. To start with main character Sophie, I believe she turns into a mature women. It hurt me that only through Sophie’s mother’s death is where Sophie has grasp new understandings with life, and her mother, but its better late than never. Yes, the death of Martine is extremely sad, especially it being that it was a suicide, but it gives us, the readers a better understanding of Martine’s true pain. Martine was not a stabled character; she was sad, depressed, and tragic. Also, it gives us a new type of Sophie who’s able to now understand her mothers pain. Sophie is also now able to love her mother to the fullest, as she was not able to do before.

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.

Near the end of the novel, I found something very significant in this scene. When Sophie visited Rena’s office, the latter asked how her mother was doing. Sophie said to Rena that her mother, Martine was in her state of mind. In addition, Martine was pregnant. Her plan was to get rid of her baby by abortion. The reason Martine planned to sent her baby to abortion because she heard the baby saying mean things to her. Rena believed Martine needed an exorcism before planning to abort the baby. This scene is very similar to the novel, I, Tituba Black Witch of Salem. For example, Tituba had a child after the former was born from the rape and had experienced tragedy and pain. Unfortunately, Tituba could not raised this child and threw the infant in the fire. Another scene I found very important from Breath, Eyes, Memory was Martine’s death. After Martine committed suicide, Sophie felt devastated of her death because she did not support despite their relationship being restored.