Breath, Eyes, Memory

by

Edwidge Danticat

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Breath, Eyes, Memory: Chapter 31 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
There are three members in Sophie’s sexual phobia support group, all of them introduced by their shared therapist, Rena. The other members are Buki, an Ethiopian college student who is a survivor of female genital mutilation, and Davina, who was raped by her grandfather for 10 years. The group meets at Davina’s house, where she has a whole room set aside for their meetings. For each session, the women wear long white dresses Buki has sewn for them, sit on heart-shaped pillows made by Davina, and recite affirmations meant to strengthen their self-confidence and transform their pain into something that makes them stronger, more empathetic, and more capable.
This passage shows that Sophie has taken steps to address, confront, and try to heal from the trauma of her past, seeking support from women who have been through similar ordeals and offering them her solidarity and understanding in return.
Themes
Virginity and Violence Theme Icon
During one session, after Buki breaks down reading a letter she has written to her grandmother—the woman who mutilated her but also raised her—Sophie finishes reading the letter aloud, and finds that she and Buki share a lot of the same feelings toward their abusers. At the end of the session, each woman writes their abuser’s name on a piece of paper and drops it into a flame. Together, they release a balloon in the yard as a symbol of their healing. The meeting helps Sophie feel closer to healing—and determined to be a better mother than her own.
Sophie, like Buki, is unable to summon within herself any hatred for her mother—she knows that even though her mother violated and hurt her, she would not be who she is without her. Sophie’s complicated emotions about her mother connect to the ways generational trauma works—bound by their love for each other and their shared experiences of violence, the women in Sophie’s family are unable to escape one another.
Themes
Mothers, Daughters, and Generational Trauma  Theme Icon
Virginity and Violence Theme Icon
Quotes
When Sophie gets home from the meeting, Joseph is excited because Brigitte has said her first word: “Dada.” He also reports that Martine and Rena called, Martine to report something “urgent” and Rena to make sure Sophie is coming to her visit the next day. Worried, Sophie calls Martine, but Martine says she just had an “urgent” desire to hear Sophie’s voice. She asks Sophie again if she’s coming this weekend, and Sophie says she is. Martine says she’s looking forward to the visit, then hangs up.
Martine’s erratic behavior and dependence on Sophie foreshadow that something terrible is coming. Still, Sophie keeps trying to convince herself that everything is all right, and that she and her mother are still connecting and growing.
Themes
Mothers, Daughters, and Generational Trauma  Theme Icon