Introduction

Abstract

Breath, Eyes, Memory (1994), the debut novel of Haitian author Edwidge Danticat, follows the fortunes of Sophie, who struggles to come to terms with the traumatic past of being ‘tested’ by her mother, Martine (the tradition of identifying that a girl’s hymen remains intact). Yet, she is also deeply affected by her mother’s personal trauma, which Martine speaks of above. In this quotation, Martine testifies to her traumatisation; first, by the testing her mother had performed upon her, but also by her rape as a young girl, which resulted in Sophie’s birth. As Martine reflects, an individual may experience simultaneously multiple traumas, and these are not necessarily equally weighted. The trauma of rape, in particular, leaves her with nightmares and, ultimately, leads to her suicide but — as Martine acknowledges — it at least stops the necessity of her mother’s virginity tests. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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