Breath, Eyes, Memory

Edwidge Danticat was born in Haiti in 1969. Her parents moved to New York shortly after her birth, leaving her to be raised by her aunt and uncle. Danticat followed her parents to New York years later, eventually graduating from Brown University with a master of fine arts.

Much of Danticat’s work, including Breath, Eyes, Memory, is at least partially autobiographical in that it deals with Haiti, Haitian Americans, and themes of immigration. In particular, she is interested in the idea of identity and how one forms an identity—especially someone who has roots in multiple nations like herself. She considers herself Haitian, yet also understands that she exists as a writer as neither fully Haitian nor fully American, instead creating an identity that exists largely outside of the two.

In Breath, Eyes, Memory, this idea is prevalent in the exploration of the theme of Home as a Construct. Sophie struggles with her past and the trauma it has created, feeling as though she is neither fully Haitian nor fully American, and instead must create an identity that merges the two. Additionally, she recognizes that there are both positive and negative aspects of each, which work together to create the person she is despite the struggles that they have caused.