Krik? Krak!
By: Melissa Medina
In Edwidge Danticat’s book Krik? Krak! she portrays Haitians as being slaves to the lives
they were obligated to have when she describes Guy’s suicide to the land of freedom, the night
lady’s life of prostitution and the man of the sea forced to runaway. This book shows plenty of
depression and struggle along with hope and desire.
Guy, a hardworking family man did something cowardice to escape the things he had to
deal with in his household. For Guy, none of the jobs he could get felt good enough for his
family. Guy thought his son would turn out to be just like him and follow in his steps but that’s
just not quite what his Wife, Lili, had in mind. In the story Guy said this “I remember my father,
who was a very poor struggling man all his life. I remember him as a man that I would never
want to be.” (Danticat 75) That is the exact thing he didn’t want his son to think. Might that be
why he ended his life? Not only did he leave his wife and child to fend for themselves but he did
it in a way for all to see; by jumping out of a hot air balloon.
Living a secret life is what this woman, The Night Lady, had to do for herself and her son.
She was living a lie and there was nothing she could do anymore, her life of prostitution had
been made a part of her. On page 83 in the book the woman says “The night is the time I dread
the most in my life. Yet if I am to live, I must depend on it”. She has become accustomed to the
life she lives. Since her son is clueless of his mother actions, she takes advantage. She explains to
her son that those men, her suitors, were his father, too young to understand he believed her lies.
To him it seemed like the truth, why wouldn’t he believe his mother? “I watch as he stretches
from a little boy into the broom-size of a man, his height mounting the innocent fabric that splits
our one-room house into two spaces, two mats, two worlds”(Danticat 83). As you can see this
woman does this in the same room where her child sleeps. The mother won’t be able to tell her
little white lies for long as she said he is a growing little boy. His innocence won’t last forever,
just like the relationship between her and her suitors. This woman struggles to keep her life
together for her son and for their lives.
All he wanted was to get away, get away from his family, get away from his life, but not
away from his one love. This teen from Children of the Sea was trying to escape everything. One
thing especially was his lover’s disapproving parents. They would do anything for him not to be
with that one love of his life who he had known since they were kids. The only hope he had was
to see her and to get his letters to her. He writes his love letters while trying to survive off
portion of food they give him. He also has hope to live through this all and get to a better place.
He sees horrible things on this boat and can barely survive on it. For example, a lady named
Celianne whose baby died, making her forced to throw it and herself over board. He writes his
love letters while trying to survive off portion of food they give him. He was was just looking for
a better future for himself, but it was a really hard struggle for him and also for the rest of the
people in these stories.
In these stories, the author portrays all the hardships Haitians had to endure. One main
thing she did portray also was how in the stories they showed the will to get a better future for
their country, society and their own selves and families, their will to achieve a better, perfect life.