Breath, Eyes, Memory #2
A Homeward Journey: Edwidge Danticat’s Fictional Landscapes, Mindscapes, Genescapes, and Signscapes, in Breath, Eyes, Memory 1. The writer’s argument is that, “Danticat has created an intricate pattern of sign-images, some of which focus on birth, growth, testing, love, death, that at times bifurcate or trifurcate, leading to other sign-image – all of which emanate from personal sources but lead to unlimited possibilities and beyond that to more heart-wrenching limited probabilities and so create a progressive type of semiotics concerning the open-endedness of language” (77). 2. The writer proves his argument by fluently demonstrating how Danticat, the author of Breath, Eyes, Memory, uses subtle signs throughout the book to focus on birth, growth, testing, love, death, and many more possibilities that can come from different interpretations. In one case, the author talks about Sophie’s quest in finding freedom, “Sophie’s own quest for freedom began with her elopement with Joseph and the rupture of her maidenhead with a pestle, similar to, as she says, ‘the breaking of manacles, an act of freedom’” (page 80). The author shows awareness of Sophie’s attitude towards becoming a freed woman that’s liberated from culture and apart from her mother. By using quotes from the book, Breath, Eyes, Memory, the author supports his argument by providing passages that relates to his personal beliefs. Furthermore, through a different work, the writer again proves his point, “As Myriam Chancy correctly states about this novel, ‘The language of the ancestors, which grows increasingly difficult to access, is the key to each woman’s freedom.’” (81). In this quote, the author shows how language can withhold power and strength to redeem a woman of her freedom, while at the same time it shows how hard it is to attain the power of freedom. By using evidence of different matter that comes from different sources, the author has substantial proof to further conclude how and why