The Dew Breaker By Edwidge Danticat Character Analysis

Depression is not only a state of being sad, it is a disease that conquers the ability to feel emotion, whether good or bad. Several people have to live with it everyday of their lives. They start to show their disinterest in their social and physical lives. A lot of people lose interest in being with the friends and family. They have long term feelings of sadness and hopelessness. There are medications and therapists that can help you work through it all. Many do not believe that you can not go through life successfully carrying depression and despair with you, but with the right type of remedy, it is possible. In The Dew Breaker, Edwidge Danticat shows examples of many people going through depression and personal life problems. The Huffington …show more content…
In the funeral singer, Freda had to sing at funerals. “Every time there was a funeral in Leogane, I was asked to sing. I would sing my father’s fishing songs and sometimes improvise my own, right there, next to the coffin, in front of my family, at the funeral home or at the church.” (175). She was torturing herself because she misses her father. Freda had been singing in the memories of him and finds it to have something that reminds her of him, but deep down, Freda knows that she should let go because it is only holding her down from getting over the death. A chapter in the book, The Bridal Seamstress shows how Beatrice tries to move on from the tortures that the dew breaker had done to her. “He asked me to go dancing with him one night,” Beatrice said, putting her feet back in her sandals. “I had a boyfriend, so I said no. That’s why he arrested me. He tied me to some type of rack in the prison and whipped the bottom of my feet until they bled. Then he made me walk home, barefoot. On tar roads. In the hot sun. At high noon. This man, wherever I rent or buy a house in the city, I find him, living on my street.” (131-132). …show more content…
Mental Health America wrote an informative article on the forces that can cause depression. “When adolescents are depressed, they have a tough time believing that their outlook can improve. But professional treatment can have a dramatic impact on their lives. It can put them back on track and bring them hope for the future.” (Mental Health America). Depression is serious and, if it is left untreated, can worsen to the point of becoming life-threatening. There are many treatments such as psychotherapy, which provides teens an opportunity to explore events and feelings that are painful to them; it teaches them coping skills. Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps teens change negative patterns of thinking and