Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Breath, Eyes, Memory, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Mothers, Daughters, and Generational Trauma
Virginity and Violence
Home
Memory, Storytelling, and the Past
Summary
Analysis
Martine greets Sophie, Joseph, and Brigitte on the stoop outside her house, welcoming them warmly and introducing Marc to Joseph. Inside, Marc cooks fish in a skillet while Martine shows Joseph the house. In the backyard, as Marc and Joseph chat about work and music, Martine tells Sophie slyly that she has made a decision about what to do. Before Martine can tell Sophie what her decision is, the men rope the two of them into their conversation, and they all begin discussing what it means to have African heritage. Joseph and Martine sing some spirituals together; Martine sings one about feeling like a “motherless child a long ways from home.”
As Martine offers up her song, it becomes evident that she, too, feels far from home and disconnected from her roots. Martine is highly unstable right now, and though Sophie senses the difficulty her mother is going through, she doesn’t know how to help her. Sophie has always had to step up and care for her mother—but now, Martine’s problems are bigger than Sophie can even begin to handle.
Themes
The day ends before Sophie and Martine have a moment alone to discuss Martine’s decision. That night, on the ride back to Providence, Joseph tells Sophie that he understands Martine a little better—she didn’t like him, he says, because she didn’t want to give up “a gem” like Sophie. By the time they get home, there are two messages from Martine on the machine, so Sophie calls her back. Martine tells Sophie that she has decided to get an abortion—she heard the baby speak to her in a “man’s voice,” and now wants to “get it out.” Sophie begs her mother not to do anything rash. Martine tells Sophie not to worry, and promises to call her the next day.
Though Martine is clearly experiencing hallucinations, hallmarks of her fragile, fractured mental state, Sophie wants to respect her mother’s agency and doesn’t intervene in her decision-making. This move will have devastating consequences for them both, but in the moment, Sophie believes she’s doing what’s best for her mother by allowing Martine to take control of her own body for the first time in her life.
Themes
