The women in Krik? Krak! lead very different lives depending on location. While the women in Haiti struggle endlessly to continually provide, the Haitian immigrant women of America struggle to provide just as much, while constantly delivering various tidbits of advice and proverbs to their blessed children, who had the luxury of growing up American.
A prominent example of a difference would be between Night Women and New York Day Women, where the two mothers lead very different jobs at very different times of day, all for the sake of their children's well being. The mother in Night Women chooses to become a prostitute, satisfying men at night-time for their money, all so she can feed her son. Meanwhile, the mother in New York Day Women works as a nanny for other children, sacrificing time with her daughter to gain extra money for the family, and having less of a relationship with her child unlike the woman in Night Women due to her different line of work.
Caroline's Wedding provides us a different perspective than the one given in Night Women and New York Day Women. Like NYDW, it centers on the viewpoint of a daughter of a Haitian immigrant, but unlike the other daughter, she was not born in America, and is arguably not the main character. Rather, her sister Caroline is, and the story reads as if there is a sort of disconnect between the daughter with her sister and mother, almost like she feels like she doesn't belong with either. While she's a Haitian immigrant like her mother, she's not a complete American like her sister, as she tolerates more of her mother's traditionalist ideas and endeavors.
No comments:
Post a Comment