Who died in the fields in breath eyes memory?
The next day, Sophie returns from therapy to an urgent message from Marc. When she finally gets through, he tells her that Martine has committed suicide by stabbing herself in the stomach with a rusty knife seventeen times. She died in the ambulance after telling Marc that she could not carry the baby.
Who is Erzulie in breath eyes memory?
Erzulie. The Haitian goddess of love and power, Erzulie is invoked as a symbol of female courage, desirability and strength. She is Sophie’s ideal mother, the comforter of women and the desire of men.
What does Sophie’s last name Caco mean in Creole?
Tante Atie explains to Sophie their family name Caco comes from the vibrant and noticeable red Caco bird. Sophie dresses her mother in red for her funeral as an act of empowerment.
Why does Martine keep a doll?
She tells Sophie that she’ll have to work hard to become educated, so that she’ll be respected. Although the apartment is kind of awful, Martine gives Sophie her room, which she’s prepared carefully. She also gives Sophie a doll that she kept to remind her of her daughter.
What is the meaning of the title breath eyes memory?
The title of this work comes from the very last reflection in the book on Haiti: I come from a place where breath, eyes, and memory are one, a place from which you carry your past like the hair on your head. ( 35.234)
Who raped Martine?
Although Martine has a fierce affection and need for her daughter, she harbors fear and hatred for that unknown part of Sophie, which brings her back to the most violent day of her life—when she was raped by Sophie’s father.
What is in the package that ATIE receives?
At this potluck, Monsiuer Augustin’s wife, Madame Augustin, asks Tante Atie about a package she received. The village women suspect the package contains a ticket to New York City from Martine to Atie. Sophie slips the Mother’s Day card under Tante Atie’s pillow as her aunt sleeps.
What does Sophie create for ATIE?
As Sophie Caco walks home from school one Friday, she admires the Mother’s Day card she has made for her Tante Atie. It is small and made of cardboard, but Sophie has dangled a flattened dry daffodil from its edge.