How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Page)
Quote #10
"I want to forget the hidden things, the conflicts you always want me to deal with. I want to look at her as someone I am meeting again for the first time. An acquaintance who I am hoping will become a friend." (32.208)
Sophie tells her therapist that she has no interest in the confrontational method of therapy that she's been suggesting to her. Sophie would rather put the past behind her and just forget the bad times. But Rena warns her that the past has a way of rearing its ugly head in the present—at least until it is faced and permanently put to bed. Sophie feels that her relationship with her mother might be too fraught to untangle from the very beginning. A fresh start might be the right thing.
Quote #11
"You and your mother should both go there again and see that you can walk away from it. Even if you can never face the man who is your father, there are things that you can say to the spot where it happened. I think you'll be free once you have your confrontation. There will be no more ghosts." (32.211)
Rena, Sophie's therapist, suggests that as part of "confrontation therapy," both Sophie and her mother should return to the place where Martine was raped. This will help them regain control of the situation in the present and put the past in its place. At least, theoretically.
Quote #12
There is always a place where women live near trees that, blowing in the wind, sound like music. These women tell stories to their children both to frighten and delight them. These women, they are fluttering lanterns on the hills, the fireflies in the night, the faces that loom over you and recreate the same unspeakable acts that they themselves lived through. There is always a place where nightmares are passed on through generations like heirlooms. (35.234)
Danticat ends her work by reminding us that there's something uniquely Haitian to the story she just told. Not only is the strength of the women characteristic, but so is the depth and breadth of their suffering—and the ability to pass on an emotional legacy over the course of generations. This is not always a good thing, but there is also something beautiful in the extreme psychological landscape of this land.