In the novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat, female purity seems to be a big concern. In the chapters that follow chapter ten, we see Sophie really pushing the envelope by going out with Joseph. The fact that she comes home so late is a reason for her mother to be concerned about her purity. She “tests” her to see if she is still a virgin. These examinations are ongoing and eventually Sophie is sick of them. The fact that she is willing to take her own virginity is appalling to say the least.
Purity is something that many cultures find to be sacred. For a woman to not be ‘pure’ any longer is a symbol of rebellion. Sophie is rebelling against her mother. The fact that her mother tests her to see if she is still pure is excruciating. She says her mother tells her stories while she is testing her to take her mind off of what is happening. I feel that Sophie taking her own virginity by a motor pestle is pent up aggression. Sophie wants to marry Joseph the Jazz musician; she can’t tell her mother so instead she does one thing that she knows would blow her mother’s mind. Sophie’s actions do not make her un-pure but desperate to be with the man she loves and if that means putting herself through pain she is willing to do so.
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I agree that what Sophie did was a sign of rebellion against her mother, especially since her mother thought Sophie's purity was so important. It's interesting though, that as soon as Sophie does take her own virginity she runs away from home. Sophie could have easily just run away from home and had Joseph take her virginity. I think that Sophie is making a point that she wants her mother to "test" her and have her react to a failed test. It must be important to Sophie to have this happen on her own terms rather than when she inevitably would lose her virginity to Joseph.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to Sophie's own loss of purity and innocence, Tante Atie's impurities start to show through to readers. Tante Atie no longer "ha[s] to be a saint" (Danticat 111) for Sophie and has developed a drinking problem to "forget [her] troubles" (143). Tantie Atie's drinking seems to be a manifestation of the ongoing abandonment and emptiness in her life. Thus far, her dear sister left her for America, as well as Sophie whom she loved as her own, and she was snubbed by the man she loved. In the end, the only person who has not abandoned her (yet) is her elderly mother, whom she takes care of out of obligation.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the above comments. Sophie was indeed very desperate and extremely frustrated and as a result she took her own virginity. Even thought it might sound insane, for Sophie in this case there way no other way. This was her way to rebel against her mother. She did no harm to them yet harmed herself. Not only that she also suffered later in life due to this decision. Like Ben mentioned, immediately after she deflowered herself she waited for her mother to fall asleep and only then did she run away from her house. I really don’t understand why she deflowered herself first when she could have just left home and ran away with Joseph and started fresh. She must have wanted to face herself later in life.
ReplyDeleteI kind of don't understand why Sophie doesn't go to Joseph first, and use him to rebel. I guess you could say that she did it without him because she didn't want to involve him in this act of defiance. Either way, it seems so insane though. There were so many things she could have done instead to reject tradition without hurting herself.
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