Breath, Eyes: Narrative Layout

               I really enjoyed how fast the novel progressed. At first when reading it I thought I would be reading about the young girl the whole time. When the transition was made quickly from her at 12 to her at 18, I began to like where the book was going. I was concerned at first that I would lose her essence as a person and be stuck on who she was "that year". I then realized that the story wasn't just about her and her own experience, but it spoke to more. 

             It also became apparent that as an author, Danticat likes to use the theme of connections in doubles. There is always a juxtaposition in the story. Often the sisters Martine and Atie are compared such as in Martine's rape and almost "too much" sexual experience, and Atie's lack there of in her saddened life. I found many instances where this seemed to be apparent throughout the novel. It also moves into place once Sophie is older comparing her mother and her. 

          The idea of the body I think begins to come into play early on in this book as well. It seems that while the Caco women are constantly physically abused in various ways: rape, cancer, testing, etc, the physical abuse is a symbol for their abuse as women in their society. I feel that there were many themes that became apparent early on in the book, and enjoyed watching them unfold later on in the book in more depth. In the beginning many of these things were highlighted.