Therefore, due to the practice of the ritual, young women observe chastity because they would not want to be condemned if they failed the test. Testing is therefore done to ensure mothers protect their daughters from the social evils of the world.īriefly, this ritual acts as a deterrent for young women to engage in runaway sexual adventures, which may expose them to harm (Danticat 23). This is an act of love, which manifests in protection. Love manifests in the Haitian ritual to check female virginity, where mothers test their daughters to ensure they are still pure. The theme of love is profound in the novel breath, eyes, memory. However, throughout the novel, the differences in culture (between native Haitians and Americans) are exposed, and the concept of assimilation is emphasized to synchronize the two cultures (Danticat 15).

Her trip back to Haiti is also another manifestation of the theme of immigration, where she goes back to her native homeland to live with her grandmother and aunts.

Later in the narration, Sophie returns to Haiti to see her grandmother after she develops some resentment towards her mother. In addition, she is able to adjust to the new American lifestyle. After shifting her residence from Haiti to New York, Sophie discovers missing pieces of her past. From this understanding, the theme of immigration is profound. Sophie was raised in Haiti but her mother lived in New York (Danticat 3).Īs the novel progresses, we can see that Martine (Sophie’s mother) invites her daughter to the US to stay with her. From the novel, a reader is able to see the difference in culture between Sophie and her mother. Moreover, the theme of immigration is almost representative of the current and past American immigration trends. Immigration is a major theme in the novel breath, eyes, memory because it describes the foundation of the novel’s plot. These themes form the framework of this paper because immigration, love and parenting are discussed as the main themes in the novel. These elements are explained from the main themes of the novel. In simpler terms, it reflects the basic elements that spun our existence. The novel breath, eyes, memory is a true manifestation of the medieval and present human society.

Breath memory edwidge danticat novel