Breath, Eyes, Memory
Summary of Chapters 1-5
A twelve-year-old girl named Sophie lived with her aunt, Tante Atie, in Haiti.
Sophie’s mother, Martine, left her with Atie when she migrated to the U.S, hoping
to fulfill the American dream. One evening, the neighbours gathered for a feast,
and Madame Augustine saw a mysterious package arrive from Martine, and she was
curious about what was in the package. Despite Atie’s evasions, it quickly became
evident that Martine sent and airplane for her daughter. Upon hearing this news,
Sophie was dismayed. The following day, Atie begins to tell Sophie about her
mother, explaining that Martine left Sophie with her until she can send for Sophie
and that Atie’s custody of Sophie was temporary. Atie tells Sophie how hard her
mother has been working for the betterment of the family and she does not
expect her to fight Martine or give her any trouble. Before Sophie leaves, Atie and
Sophie make a trip to a remote village where Grandme Ife, Sophie’s maternal
grandmother resides. Grandme Ife prepared a small feast for them and dined on
the back porch before retiring to bed. Sophie was slept in her mother’s bedroom
when she experienced a recurrent nightmare where her mother chased her
through a field of wild flowers waiting for Atie to save her.
During Sophie’s final week in Haiti, Atie worked overtime in order to
buy Sophie gifts. Atie then presented Sophie with a saffron dress embroidered
with daffodils to wear on the trip. That night, Sophie's recurrent dream of being
chased by her mother leads to a dream in which Martine has finally caught her, and
Atie cannot save her. The next morning, as Atie and Sophie get dressed, Chabin,
the albino lottery agent, stops by to pay Atie the ten gourdes she won by playing
the number thirty-one. The taxi arrives before Atie and Sophie have finished
breakfast. After Sophie said her goodbyes to the neighbours, she gets into the
taxi with Atie and leaves the village. As the taxi drives into Port-au-Prince Sophie
is awed by the chaos and Atie remembered her trips to Port-au-Prince with her
sister, Martine. The airport was in chaos that day because the airports name was
being changed. Students were throwing stones at a burning car surrounded by army
trucks and soldiers. The soldiers retaliated with both tear gas and bullets. The
taxi then taxi arrives at the airport and Sophie and Martine say their goodbyes.
When Sophie boarded the plane, she was placed beside a boy who was throwing a
fit. His father was a corrupt politician who had just died in a fire outside the
airport. He was travelling to his aunt in Mew York, his only living relative.
Literary devices in Breath Eyes Memory chapters 1-5
Irony
Atie usually plays the lottery and uses random numbers but the one time she uses
Martine’s age, she wins the lottery.
Imagery
Sophie witnesses a violent group of rioters protesting against the renaming of the
airport. The rioters become violent, throwing stones and cars and the army has to
get involved.
Motif
The recurrent nightmare where her mother chased her through a field of wild
flowers waiting for Atie to save her.
Foreshadowing
When she was in school, her pairs would read with their parents, and she would be
paired with the elderly woman. Sophie wondered were her parents were and why
don’t they read with her. This is foreshadowing the issue surrounding her birth and
her father.
Allusion
Immigrant parents put a great pressure on their children to be more successful
than them. The parents make sacrifices for their children, in turn, they expect
their children to be something more than they were, to have a better future and a
better life.
Simile
When Atie was watching The Augustine’s through her window, Mr. Augustine
brushed Madame Augustine’s hair draped like a silk blanked down her back.