Breath, eyes, Memory

In the novel Breath, eyes, memory by Edwidge Danticat I noticed one main theme throughout the novel. This theme was the societies obsession with purity and the problems this brings to the women in the community.
The most graphic and disturbing example of this to me is the practice of testing. Martines testing was an extremely emotional disturbing practice to her. It was humiliating and confusing. The reason that Martines tested Sophie was because as a girl Martines was tested up until she was raped. Sophie was tested up until she breaks her own hymen, trying to take some form of control over the situation at hand. The practice of testing was used to ensure a future husband and family's pride, worth and honor which leaves the women's body mainly as a trophy and no longer her own.
The tradition of obsession over a women's body and her purity objectifies the women and leaves them confused and unfamiliar with themselves. It forces the women to do harmful things to their bodies, like Sophia's bulimia, Martines suicide and Anties alcholism. Although presently in our society we don't practice 'testing' and we don't focus so much on virginity I believe that we still objectify women almost as much as in the novel. Women are expected to be submissive, a certain size with a certain look, and are constantly thought of as the inferior sex in society and in business. There are many different sources that objectify women, one source that does it the most would be music, mainly rap music, but it can even go all the way up to the government. The article about Laura Bush's speech about Iraqi women is one example of this. Laura Bush objectified the women, not in a sexual way, but in a way that was trying to demean their culture and tradition. I would hope that soon our society will try to take bigger steps towards eliminating sexism so that both sex's can live equally and happily.

The Joys of Motherhood

The Joys of Motherhood is a novel that shows the social constraints and stereotypes that are put on women in Africa and in some aspects all over the world. Nnu Ego was thought of merely as a baby maker and her social status in her community relied solely on if she could produce male offspring. When Nnu was younger she dreamt of how fulfilling being a mother would be but unlike what the title of this novel would suggest, it is nothing that she expected.

At the beginning of the novel Nnu was afraid that she was barren and would not ever become pregnant, after she marries her second husband, Nnaife she believes that she is blessed because she is able to have a son. When her son Ngozi dies in infancy the novel takes a drastic change. Nnu tries to kill herself but she is persuaded not to do so by other citizens in her tribe. Nnu's gift of being able to become pregnant soon becomes her enslavement. After Ngozi's death she has a stillborn daughter and then her three children abandon their responsibility of caring for her and she dies alone on the side of the road.

Nnu Egos life was a self less life that was only filled with sadness and no fulfillment. The one quote in this book that affected me the most was "Her love and duty for her children were like her chain of slavery." (119) It just proves that she was a slave to society. Because Nnu followed the societal traditions of having many children and put so much work into raising and caring for them, then reeked none of the rewards that traditionally should have been granted to her is like working your whole life without any compensation, so it was ultimately like slavery for Nnu.

I believe that today women are still greatly pressured to become mothers and if a women is barren or chooses not to have a child society will look down upon her because she is not fulfilling her duties. I think that this social constraint is meant to control women into staying at home and raising children and restricting them from fulfilling what ever they strive to do in their life whether it be a career they wanted to pursue or any other activities that would make them happy.

Annie John

The novel Annie John is a novel about a girl who craves the attention of everyone around her. She feels the need to always be the best student for the teachers, the most popular girl in her school but most importantly to Annie she craves the attention and acceptance of her mother.
Through out the beginning of the novel Kincaid stressed the fact that Annie John was inseparable with her mother and that anything that her mother was doing, Annie John was also doing. Annie John even says in one passage when talking about her mother cleaning her trunk that “If I was at home when she happened to do this, I was at her side, as usual.” (21)
When Annie John hit puberty the relationship with her mother began to change. When her mother told her that she was too old to wear matching dresses with her anymore Annie thought that “To say that I felt the earth swept away from under me would not be going too far.” (26)
I believe that the major breaking point for Annie John and the way she viewed her mother and her relationship was when Annie rushed home from school to show her mother a certificate for best student in bible study class when she saw her Mother in bed with her Father. Annie went from being excited for “a chance for her to smile again” (30) to finding her mothers hand repulsive. I believe that that this became the turning point in the relationship because Annie saw her mother giving someone else affection. I believe that it was especially hard for Annie because she was coming home to make her mother proud but instead it was almost as if she saw her mother cheating on her. Although Annie and her mother’s relationship seem to be over by the end of the book, I believe that sense it was still hard for Annie to say good bye to her mom and because Annie is only 17 years old, she will return to her family someday.