Analysis of Conflicts of The Protagonist in Edwidge Danticat's 'Breath, Eyes, Memory'.
ABSTRACT
Di dalam skripsi ini, saya akan menganalisa konflik dari tokoh utama
dalam novel yang berjudul Breath, Eyes, Memory karya Edwidge Danticat. Saya
akan menganalisa konflik apa saja yang dialami oleh tokoh utama, apa yang
menyebabkan konflik itu terjadi dan bagaimana solusi yang diambil untuk
memecahkan konflik-konflik tersebut.
Tokoh utama dalam novel ini adalah Sophie Caco. Sophie caco
ditinggalkan oleh ibunya sejak lahir, dia dibesarkan oleh tantenya di desa. Pada
saat Sophie berumur dua belas tahun, Sophie pindah ke Amerika untuk tinggal
bersama ibu yang tidak terlalu dia kenal. Di Amerika, dia baru mengetahui bahwa
dia adalah seorang anak yang lahir karena perkosaan yang dialami ibunya. Oleh
karena perkosaan yang dialami Martine, ibu Sophie, telah membuat hidup dan
mimpinya berantakan, ibunya berusaha agar hal yang sama tidak terjadi pada
Sophie. Hal-hal itulah yang menyebabkan keduanya tidak bisa menghindari
konflik-konflik yang nantinya mempengaruhi hubungan antara ibu dan anak.
Ada lima konflik yang dialami oleh Sophie, yang terdiri dari tiga konflik
sosial dan dua konflik internal. Sophie mempunyai perbedaan keinginan dengan
ibunya, sehingga menimbulkan konflik sosial. Kemudian, Sophie juga mengalami
hal yang bertentangan dengan dirinya sendiri yang menimbulkan terjadinya
iii
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konflik internal. Pada akhirnya, semua konflik tidak terpecahkan kecuali satu
konflik sosial.
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...............................................................................
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................ iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study .........................................................................
Statement of the Problem .........................................................................
Purpose of the Study ................................................................................
Method of Research .................................................................................
Organization of the Thesis .......................................................................
1
2
3
3
3
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF PORTRAYAL OF THE
PROTAGONIST IN BREATH, EYES, MEMORY ............................. 4
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION ............................................................ 15
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................ 19
APPENDIX
Synopsis of Breath, Eyes, Memory ........................................................ 20
Biography of Edwidge Danticat ............................................................. 21
ii
Maranatha Christian University
APPENDIX
Synopsis of Breath, Eyes, Memory
Breath, Eyes, Memory is a story about a young girl who has been left by
her mother. Sophie is raised by her aunt in the village of Croix-des-Rosets. She
never meets her mother since she was born. She lives with Tante Atie and
considers her as her mother. At the age of twelve Sophie has to leave her aunt and
move to New York to live with her mother.
Sophie begins her new life in New York City, where she finds out that she
is a child of a rape victim. She also finds that her mother has been traumatic for
many years by the memories of Sophie’s father who raped her when she was a
teenager. Sophie is raised under the authoritative way of her mother. She forces
Sophie to be a doctor and allows Sophie to have a boyfriend only after she is
eighteen.
At the age of eighteen, Sophie falls in love with Joseph, a musician who is
much older than her. Sophie’s mother does not agree to their relationship. To
protect Sophie’s virginity, her mother does a traditional testing, which is the test
of virginity by inserting a finger into the very private part of her body. Sophie
decides to take her own virginity. As Sophie fails the test, Sophie’s mother asks
her to get out from the house.
20
Sophie marries Joseph. They have a daughter, Brigitte. However, the test
leaves a trauma in Sophie. To calm her mind and to find the answer to what the
test is for, Sophie along with Brigitte goes to her grandmother’s village in Dame
Marie. Later, Sophie’s mother comes to Dame Marie to settle their quarrel and
they go back to USA together.
One day, Sophie’s mother commits suicide because her traumatic is
getting worse when she is pregnant again. On her mother’s funeral, Sophie goes to
the cane fields where her mother was raped, and attacks the cane fields. To release
her feelings, she begins to beat a cane stalk so brutally that she is bleeding. Only
after that can she now be free from her trauma.
Biography of the Author
Edwidge Danticat was born in January 19, 1969 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
When she was two years old, her father André immigrated to New York, to be
followed two years later by her mother Rose. This left Danticat and her younger
brother Eliab to be raised by her aunt and uncle. At the age of twelve, she moved
to Brooklyn, New York, to join her parents in a heavily Haitian American
neighborhood. After graduating from Clara Barton High School in Brooklyn, New
York, Danticat entered Barnard College in New York City. Initially she had
intended on studying to become a teacher, but her love of writing won out and she
received a BA in French literature.
Besides Breath, Eyes, Memory (1994), Edwidge Danticat’s works are Krik?
Krak! (1996), The Farming of Bones (1998), Behind the Mountains (2002), After
21
the Dance: A Walk Through Carnival in Jacmel, Haiti (2002), The Dew Breaker,
Brother (2004), I'm Dying (2007), and The Butterfly's Way.
In 1993, she earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Brown
University. Her thesis, entitled My turn in the fire - an abridged novel, was the
basis for her novel Breath, Eyes, Memory, which was published by Soho Press in
1994.
Source: (“Edwidge Danticat”)
21
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Edwidge Danticat is the author of nine novels and two short stories. Granta
Magazine mentions her as one of Twenty Best Young American Novelists in 1996
(“Edwidge Danticat”). Most of her works are inspired by her own experiences as a
child and by her family’s experiences so that the characters look tangible. “In nine
interrelated stories, Danticat used some her own family’s experiences as a basis
for the lives of the characters” (“Edwidge Danticat”). Among her works, I am
interested in analyzing Breath, Eyes, Memory.
In the novel Breath, Eyes, Memory, the protagonist, Sophie Caco is raised
by her aunt in Haiti until later she migrates and has to be separated from her
beloved aunt because she has to join her mother, whom she barely knows, in
America. The author portrays how hard it is to leave her loved one and live with a
mother who is a stranger to her as a young girl.
Sophie is also portrayed as a child of a rape victim, which causes her
mother to be concerned about virginity. To prevent the same thing from
1
Maranatha Christian University
happening to Sophie, her mother does a traditional practice of virginity testing to
her. Edwidge Danticat says, “The essential thing to all the mothers in the book is
to try, in their own way, to be the best mothers they can be, given their
circumstances, because they want their daughters to go further in life than they did
themselves” (“An interview with Edwidge Danticat”).
In such a situation, it is inevitable that both mother and daughter should
have disagreement between them. That is why, in this thesis I would like to
analyze the conflicts in Breath, Eyes, Memory. According to Harry Shaw in his
Dictionary of Literary Terms,
Conflict is the opposition of person or forces upon which the action
depends in drama and fiction. Conflict is an important element of plot;
they are the material from which a plot is constructed. There are three
types of conflict; first type is physical conflict, a struggle between man and
the physical world. It represented man versus forces of nature. Second type
is social conflict, a struggle between man and man. Third type is inner
conflict, a struggle between desires within a person. (Shaw 91-92)
Statement of the Problem
The problems in this study are:
1. What conflicts occur in the protagonist’s life?
2. What are the causes of the conflicts?
3. What are the resolutions of the conflicts?
2
Maranatha Christian University
Purpose of the Study
Based on the statement of the problem, the purposes of the study are:
1. to show the conflicts that occur in the protagonist’s life.
2. to show the causes of the conflicts.
3. to show the resolutions of the conflicts.
Method of Research
In my analysis, I use the library research. I read Edwidge Danticat’s novel,
Breath, Eyes, Memory, as the primary text. Then, I search for other sources from
books and electronic websites as references to support my analysis; moreover, to
help me in writing my analysis. Finally, I draw a conclusion based on my
analysis.
Organization of the Thesis
This thesis is organized into three chapters. Chapter One contains
Background of the Study, Statement of the Problem, Purpose of the Study,
Method of Research and Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two contains the
analysis of conflicts of the protagonist in Edwidge Danticat’s Breath, Eyes,
Memory. Chapter Three is Conclusion. The thesis ends with Bibliography and
Appendices, which consist of the synopsis of the novel and the biography of the
author.
3
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
Having analyzed both the inner and the social conflicts in Edwidge
Danticat’s Breath, Eyes, Memory, in this chapter, I am going to draw a
conclusion.
I find three social conflicts between Sophie and Martine. The first social
conflict is about Sophie’s education. Martine is of the opinion that Sophie should
pursue her education and become a doctor. According to Martine, education is the
only thing that make people respect them and that can raise their family status. On
the other hand, Sophie does not like going to school because she is afraid of being
accused of having AIDS. Sophie’s mother insists on Sophie’s going to school and
becoming a doctor for the reason that it is good for her future. Because of that,
Sophie does not dare to have a dream of her own although deep down she does
not want to be a doctor. Besides, when finally she thinks about her future, she
knows that she wants to become a secretary. In the end, after she is married,
Sophie does become a secretary and by her becoming a secretary is accordance
with her desires, the conflict is resolved.
The second social conflict between Sophie and Martine is about Sophie’s
boyfriend, Joseph. Joseph is as old as her mother, but Sophie’s love for him is
15
Maranatha Christian University
unconditional because for Sophie, age does not matter. Sophie also does not mind
the fact that Joseph is a musician. Sophie is very happy and she feels that her life
is more interesting after she meets Joseph because Joseph breaks the monotony
activities between school, home and prayer. But, Sophie’s mother does not allow
Sophie to have a relationship with Joseph because Martine wants Sophie to have a
boyfriend from a good family background and with a steady job. Martine also
thinks that Joseph is too old for Sophie. Finally, Sophie decides to meet Joseph
secretly while her mother is working. This conflict is unresolved because their
relationship becomes worse when Martine finds out about their relationship and
this conflict leads to the third social conflict below.
The third social conflict between Sophie and her mother is about the
virginity testing. Virginity testing is a common practice done to every woman in
their family. After Martine knows that Sophie and Joseph are in a relationship,
Martine starts to test Sophie. On the one hand, Sophie hates the testing because it
hurts her and it is humiliating. On the other hand, according to Martine, doing the
testing is her duty to protect her daughter’s virginity before she is married. It has
been a tradition. Sophie’s mother has also been tested by Sophie’s grandmother
who wants to keep her from pre-marital sex or to get pregnant at a young age.
Furthermore, loosing one’s virginity is a disgrace. In the end, Sophie breaks the
hymen by pressing a pestle into it in order to stop the testing. As a result of
Sophie’s action, Martine concludes that Sophie has been having sex with Joseph
and she asks Sophie to get out from the house. Sophie has no place to go so she
goes to Joseph and agrees to marry him. After that, Sophie and her mother have
never met and talked to each other. In my opinion, this conflict is unresolved.
16
Maranatha Christian University
I also find two inner conflicts that happen to Sophie. The first inner
conflict is about her relationship with Joseph. Sophie is confused whether to
continue her relationship with Joseph or not. On the one hand, Sophie knows that
Martine disagrees to their relationship and she would not approve of seeing him.
On the other hand, Sophie likes Joseph from the first time they met. Sophie is
happy when she is with Joseph. As Sophie’s love is unconditionally and she loves
Joseph very much, in the end Sophie marries Joseph even though it is not with
Martine’s blessing, so the conflict is resolved.
The second inner conflict experienced by Sophie happens when her
grandmother asks Sophie to greet her mother first when they finally meet again at
Dame Marie. On the one hand, Sophie thinks that the younger should obey the
older, she knows that as a daughter she should come and greet her mother first. On
the other hand, because her mother does not reply all the letters and never answer
the phone from Sophie after her marriage, Sophie does not want to greet her
mother first. Sophie also still remembers what Martine has done to her, the testing
and everything so she is unable to greet her mother. But in the end, as Sophie’s
grandmother becomes angry and makes Martine looked uncomfortable and almost
scared, Martine decides to give in to Sophie. She walks to Sophie and kiss her
cheek. In my opinion, as Sophie does not reject her mother, this conflict is
resolved.
After analyzing all the conflicts, I find that all the problems lie in the
relationship between a mother and a daughter in the novel. The author portrays
how Martine is trying to be the best mother that she can be in her own way
because she wants her daughter to go further in her life than she does. As we
17
Maranatha Christian University
know, Martine’s life and dream is ruined because she is raped in her young age.
Moreover, the incident leaves a traumatic experience in her, so she does not
realize that she forces on Sophie too much and she likes to control Sophie, not
only about her education but also about her personal life. Unfortunately, Martine
never explains the reason why she tries to control Sophie’s life. In my opinion, it
is a mother’s obligation to give all the best for her daughter but Martine’s past
experience and her being bound by tradition make it hard for her to act differently.
Sophie as a daughter feels that she is not free to choose or to decide what
she wants. She also never shows or expresses what she wants and what she feels
to her mother. In my opinion, every child has their own dream. Not only that,
Sophie is also a grown up child. I think she will not always follow her mother’s
desire.
In my opinion, Sophie and Martine have no communication at all. Not to
mention that Sophie and Martine have been living separately and thus they have
not known each other well. If Sophie understood her mother’s past experience and
family tradition, they might be able to solve the conflict between them.
Finally, I am of the opinion that Edwidge Danticat is a great writer who
succeeds in creating a good story which makes the readers feel satisfied after
reading the novel. She also succeeds in creating inner and social conflicts which
support the story and make it interesting to read.
18
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text
Danticat, Edwidge. Breath, Eyes, Memory. New York: Vintage Contemporaries,
1994. Print.
References
An Interview with Edwidge Danticat. Web. 24 August 2010
“Edwidge Danticat”. Answers.com. Web. 10 August 2010.
Shaw, Harry. Dictionary of Literary Terms. America: McGraw-Hill Book
Company, 1927. Print.
19
Maranatha Christian University
Di dalam skripsi ini, saya akan menganalisa konflik dari tokoh utama
dalam novel yang berjudul Breath, Eyes, Memory karya Edwidge Danticat. Saya
akan menganalisa konflik apa saja yang dialami oleh tokoh utama, apa yang
menyebabkan konflik itu terjadi dan bagaimana solusi yang diambil untuk
memecahkan konflik-konflik tersebut.
Tokoh utama dalam novel ini adalah Sophie Caco. Sophie caco
ditinggalkan oleh ibunya sejak lahir, dia dibesarkan oleh tantenya di desa. Pada
saat Sophie berumur dua belas tahun, Sophie pindah ke Amerika untuk tinggal
bersama ibu yang tidak terlalu dia kenal. Di Amerika, dia baru mengetahui bahwa
dia adalah seorang anak yang lahir karena perkosaan yang dialami ibunya. Oleh
karena perkosaan yang dialami Martine, ibu Sophie, telah membuat hidup dan
mimpinya berantakan, ibunya berusaha agar hal yang sama tidak terjadi pada
Sophie. Hal-hal itulah yang menyebabkan keduanya tidak bisa menghindari
konflik-konflik yang nantinya mempengaruhi hubungan antara ibu dan anak.
Ada lima konflik yang dialami oleh Sophie, yang terdiri dari tiga konflik
sosial dan dua konflik internal. Sophie mempunyai perbedaan keinginan dengan
ibunya, sehingga menimbulkan konflik sosial. Kemudian, Sophie juga mengalami
hal yang bertentangan dengan dirinya sendiri yang menimbulkan terjadinya
iii
Maranatha Christian University
konflik internal. Pada akhirnya, semua konflik tidak terpecahkan kecuali satu
konflik sosial.
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...............................................................................
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................ iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study .........................................................................
Statement of the Problem .........................................................................
Purpose of the Study ................................................................................
Method of Research .................................................................................
Organization of the Thesis .......................................................................
1
2
3
3
3
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF PORTRAYAL OF THE
PROTAGONIST IN BREATH, EYES, MEMORY ............................. 4
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION ............................................................ 15
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................ 19
APPENDIX
Synopsis of Breath, Eyes, Memory ........................................................ 20
Biography of Edwidge Danticat ............................................................. 21
ii
Maranatha Christian University
APPENDIX
Synopsis of Breath, Eyes, Memory
Breath, Eyes, Memory is a story about a young girl who has been left by
her mother. Sophie is raised by her aunt in the village of Croix-des-Rosets. She
never meets her mother since she was born. She lives with Tante Atie and
considers her as her mother. At the age of twelve Sophie has to leave her aunt and
move to New York to live with her mother.
Sophie begins her new life in New York City, where she finds out that she
is a child of a rape victim. She also finds that her mother has been traumatic for
many years by the memories of Sophie’s father who raped her when she was a
teenager. Sophie is raised under the authoritative way of her mother. She forces
Sophie to be a doctor and allows Sophie to have a boyfriend only after she is
eighteen.
At the age of eighteen, Sophie falls in love with Joseph, a musician who is
much older than her. Sophie’s mother does not agree to their relationship. To
protect Sophie’s virginity, her mother does a traditional testing, which is the test
of virginity by inserting a finger into the very private part of her body. Sophie
decides to take her own virginity. As Sophie fails the test, Sophie’s mother asks
her to get out from the house.
20
Sophie marries Joseph. They have a daughter, Brigitte. However, the test
leaves a trauma in Sophie. To calm her mind and to find the answer to what the
test is for, Sophie along with Brigitte goes to her grandmother’s village in Dame
Marie. Later, Sophie’s mother comes to Dame Marie to settle their quarrel and
they go back to USA together.
One day, Sophie’s mother commits suicide because her traumatic is
getting worse when she is pregnant again. On her mother’s funeral, Sophie goes to
the cane fields where her mother was raped, and attacks the cane fields. To release
her feelings, she begins to beat a cane stalk so brutally that she is bleeding. Only
after that can she now be free from her trauma.
Biography of the Author
Edwidge Danticat was born in January 19, 1969 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
When she was two years old, her father André immigrated to New York, to be
followed two years later by her mother Rose. This left Danticat and her younger
brother Eliab to be raised by her aunt and uncle. At the age of twelve, she moved
to Brooklyn, New York, to join her parents in a heavily Haitian American
neighborhood. After graduating from Clara Barton High School in Brooklyn, New
York, Danticat entered Barnard College in New York City. Initially she had
intended on studying to become a teacher, but her love of writing won out and she
received a BA in French literature.
Besides Breath, Eyes, Memory (1994), Edwidge Danticat’s works are Krik?
Krak! (1996), The Farming of Bones (1998), Behind the Mountains (2002), After
21
the Dance: A Walk Through Carnival in Jacmel, Haiti (2002), The Dew Breaker,
Brother (2004), I'm Dying (2007), and The Butterfly's Way.
In 1993, she earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Brown
University. Her thesis, entitled My turn in the fire - an abridged novel, was the
basis for her novel Breath, Eyes, Memory, which was published by Soho Press in
1994.
Source: (“Edwidge Danticat”)
21
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Edwidge Danticat is the author of nine novels and two short stories. Granta
Magazine mentions her as one of Twenty Best Young American Novelists in 1996
(“Edwidge Danticat”). Most of her works are inspired by her own experiences as a
child and by her family’s experiences so that the characters look tangible. “In nine
interrelated stories, Danticat used some her own family’s experiences as a basis
for the lives of the characters” (“Edwidge Danticat”). Among her works, I am
interested in analyzing Breath, Eyes, Memory.
In the novel Breath, Eyes, Memory, the protagonist, Sophie Caco is raised
by her aunt in Haiti until later she migrates and has to be separated from her
beloved aunt because she has to join her mother, whom she barely knows, in
America. The author portrays how hard it is to leave her loved one and live with a
mother who is a stranger to her as a young girl.
Sophie is also portrayed as a child of a rape victim, which causes her
mother to be concerned about virginity. To prevent the same thing from
1
Maranatha Christian University
happening to Sophie, her mother does a traditional practice of virginity testing to
her. Edwidge Danticat says, “The essential thing to all the mothers in the book is
to try, in their own way, to be the best mothers they can be, given their
circumstances, because they want their daughters to go further in life than they did
themselves” (“An interview with Edwidge Danticat”).
In such a situation, it is inevitable that both mother and daughter should
have disagreement between them. That is why, in this thesis I would like to
analyze the conflicts in Breath, Eyes, Memory. According to Harry Shaw in his
Dictionary of Literary Terms,
Conflict is the opposition of person or forces upon which the action
depends in drama and fiction. Conflict is an important element of plot;
they are the material from which a plot is constructed. There are three
types of conflict; first type is physical conflict, a struggle between man and
the physical world. It represented man versus forces of nature. Second type
is social conflict, a struggle between man and man. Third type is inner
conflict, a struggle between desires within a person. (Shaw 91-92)
Statement of the Problem
The problems in this study are:
1. What conflicts occur in the protagonist’s life?
2. What are the causes of the conflicts?
3. What are the resolutions of the conflicts?
2
Maranatha Christian University
Purpose of the Study
Based on the statement of the problem, the purposes of the study are:
1. to show the conflicts that occur in the protagonist’s life.
2. to show the causes of the conflicts.
3. to show the resolutions of the conflicts.
Method of Research
In my analysis, I use the library research. I read Edwidge Danticat’s novel,
Breath, Eyes, Memory, as the primary text. Then, I search for other sources from
books and electronic websites as references to support my analysis; moreover, to
help me in writing my analysis. Finally, I draw a conclusion based on my
analysis.
Organization of the Thesis
This thesis is organized into three chapters. Chapter One contains
Background of the Study, Statement of the Problem, Purpose of the Study,
Method of Research and Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two contains the
analysis of conflicts of the protagonist in Edwidge Danticat’s Breath, Eyes,
Memory. Chapter Three is Conclusion. The thesis ends with Bibliography and
Appendices, which consist of the synopsis of the novel and the biography of the
author.
3
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
Having analyzed both the inner and the social conflicts in Edwidge
Danticat’s Breath, Eyes, Memory, in this chapter, I am going to draw a
conclusion.
I find three social conflicts between Sophie and Martine. The first social
conflict is about Sophie’s education. Martine is of the opinion that Sophie should
pursue her education and become a doctor. According to Martine, education is the
only thing that make people respect them and that can raise their family status. On
the other hand, Sophie does not like going to school because she is afraid of being
accused of having AIDS. Sophie’s mother insists on Sophie’s going to school and
becoming a doctor for the reason that it is good for her future. Because of that,
Sophie does not dare to have a dream of her own although deep down she does
not want to be a doctor. Besides, when finally she thinks about her future, she
knows that she wants to become a secretary. In the end, after she is married,
Sophie does become a secretary and by her becoming a secretary is accordance
with her desires, the conflict is resolved.
The second social conflict between Sophie and Martine is about Sophie’s
boyfriend, Joseph. Joseph is as old as her mother, but Sophie’s love for him is
15
Maranatha Christian University
unconditional because for Sophie, age does not matter. Sophie also does not mind
the fact that Joseph is a musician. Sophie is very happy and she feels that her life
is more interesting after she meets Joseph because Joseph breaks the monotony
activities between school, home and prayer. But, Sophie’s mother does not allow
Sophie to have a relationship with Joseph because Martine wants Sophie to have a
boyfriend from a good family background and with a steady job. Martine also
thinks that Joseph is too old for Sophie. Finally, Sophie decides to meet Joseph
secretly while her mother is working. This conflict is unresolved because their
relationship becomes worse when Martine finds out about their relationship and
this conflict leads to the third social conflict below.
The third social conflict between Sophie and her mother is about the
virginity testing. Virginity testing is a common practice done to every woman in
their family. After Martine knows that Sophie and Joseph are in a relationship,
Martine starts to test Sophie. On the one hand, Sophie hates the testing because it
hurts her and it is humiliating. On the other hand, according to Martine, doing the
testing is her duty to protect her daughter’s virginity before she is married. It has
been a tradition. Sophie’s mother has also been tested by Sophie’s grandmother
who wants to keep her from pre-marital sex or to get pregnant at a young age.
Furthermore, loosing one’s virginity is a disgrace. In the end, Sophie breaks the
hymen by pressing a pestle into it in order to stop the testing. As a result of
Sophie’s action, Martine concludes that Sophie has been having sex with Joseph
and she asks Sophie to get out from the house. Sophie has no place to go so she
goes to Joseph and agrees to marry him. After that, Sophie and her mother have
never met and talked to each other. In my opinion, this conflict is unresolved.
16
Maranatha Christian University
I also find two inner conflicts that happen to Sophie. The first inner
conflict is about her relationship with Joseph. Sophie is confused whether to
continue her relationship with Joseph or not. On the one hand, Sophie knows that
Martine disagrees to their relationship and she would not approve of seeing him.
On the other hand, Sophie likes Joseph from the first time they met. Sophie is
happy when she is with Joseph. As Sophie’s love is unconditionally and she loves
Joseph very much, in the end Sophie marries Joseph even though it is not with
Martine’s blessing, so the conflict is resolved.
The second inner conflict experienced by Sophie happens when her
grandmother asks Sophie to greet her mother first when they finally meet again at
Dame Marie. On the one hand, Sophie thinks that the younger should obey the
older, she knows that as a daughter she should come and greet her mother first. On
the other hand, because her mother does not reply all the letters and never answer
the phone from Sophie after her marriage, Sophie does not want to greet her
mother first. Sophie also still remembers what Martine has done to her, the testing
and everything so she is unable to greet her mother. But in the end, as Sophie’s
grandmother becomes angry and makes Martine looked uncomfortable and almost
scared, Martine decides to give in to Sophie. She walks to Sophie and kiss her
cheek. In my opinion, as Sophie does not reject her mother, this conflict is
resolved.
After analyzing all the conflicts, I find that all the problems lie in the
relationship between a mother and a daughter in the novel. The author portrays
how Martine is trying to be the best mother that she can be in her own way
because she wants her daughter to go further in her life than she does. As we
17
Maranatha Christian University
know, Martine’s life and dream is ruined because she is raped in her young age.
Moreover, the incident leaves a traumatic experience in her, so she does not
realize that she forces on Sophie too much and she likes to control Sophie, not
only about her education but also about her personal life. Unfortunately, Martine
never explains the reason why she tries to control Sophie’s life. In my opinion, it
is a mother’s obligation to give all the best for her daughter but Martine’s past
experience and her being bound by tradition make it hard for her to act differently.
Sophie as a daughter feels that she is not free to choose or to decide what
she wants. She also never shows or expresses what she wants and what she feels
to her mother. In my opinion, every child has their own dream. Not only that,
Sophie is also a grown up child. I think she will not always follow her mother’s
desire.
In my opinion, Sophie and Martine have no communication at all. Not to
mention that Sophie and Martine have been living separately and thus they have
not known each other well. If Sophie understood her mother’s past experience and
family tradition, they might be able to solve the conflict between them.
Finally, I am of the opinion that Edwidge Danticat is a great writer who
succeeds in creating a good story which makes the readers feel satisfied after
reading the novel. She also succeeds in creating inner and social conflicts which
support the story and make it interesting to read.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text
Danticat, Edwidge. Breath, Eyes, Memory. New York: Vintage Contemporaries,
1994. Print.
References
An Interview with Edwidge Danticat. Web. 24 August 2010
“Edwidge Danticat”. Answers.com. Web. 10 August 2010.
Shaw, Harry. Dictionary of Literary Terms. America: McGraw-Hill Book
Company, 1927. Print.
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