Breath, Eyes, Memory

Breath, Eyes, Memory is a novel about a Haitian woman's struggle to break the chain of female injustices that occur in her family. Upon finding herself and having her ultimate awakening after the death of her mother, Sophie is determined to treat her daughter in a respectful manner. A major theme in this novel, and one of the injustices that the Caco family faces, is the implicit belief that a woman's body is not her own, but rather belongs to her eventual husband. It is important for Sophie to break this idea in order to ensure that her daughter has a better life. By identifying instances in which this injustice takes place, one can try to formulate a way to break the chain.

One of the main struggles Sophie faces in the novel is the thought that a woman's body is a man's domain, rather than her own. For example, there is a strong emphasis placed on pre-marital virginity. A woman keeps her honor if she saves herself for her husband. This is a clear example of a man controlling a woman's body before he even comes on the scene. In order to ensure that a woman's virginity is maintained, she is often tested throughout her adolescence. Sophie is traumatized by this and struggles with it throughout the novel, "My body was quivering when my mother walked into my room to test me" (88). There were other ways that men had control. One way, rape, was experienced by Sophie's mother and was her main difficulty throughout the novel. Finally, a man was also able to control a woman sexually by citing that his sexual desire was too strong. It is a wife's duty to please her husband regardless of whether she is in the mood or not. A good example of this is found on Sophie's return trip from Haiti. She left her husband to escape the pain caused through sex, and her husband identified this over the phone during her trip back home. However, once she is reunited with him, she cannot have a simple phone conversation with her mother without Joseph putting his hands on her (199). Knowing how injustices take place can give us answers on how to break them.

How do the women in this novel break the injustices that they face? There are three solutions presented to the reader: Atie's way, Martine's way, and Sophie's way. Atie chooses to live a careless life style of alcohol and sleepless nights. She finds solitude in her denial of the situation at hand. Martine chooses to end her life by mutilating her body. For her, destroying the only thing women have that men seem to cherish is the final solution. Sophie chooses to get therapy from a psychiatrist and joins a help group. In the end, she sees herself as free by affirming her independence and freedom as an individual.