Blog#7

Similiariy found in Differences

    In my opinion, Krik Krak is a stroy based on the lives of Haitian women and their stories. However, most stories we have read from the book, is about women that are not so fortunate in life. Only a few stands out not being so unlucky, for example the New York Day Women. In every Haitian-based stories, female characters were not being respected in the society with many evidences that occured in their life being told in the story. In 1937, the mother was being imprisoned as a criminal for killing the baby with her practiced religion without any prove of her doing this crime. Mostly women were kept in the prison and most of all they were being treated poorly. Not only few nutrients were being given as like normal prison, but these women suffered from the prison guards' violent actions like pouring down ice water to cool their thoughts of power and freedom every night. Also in the story Night Women, the women could not have a dignitary job that she could proudly tell her son, she has to be working in a way of sacrificing her body in night to support her living and her son's.  In the epilogue "Women Like Us", the author Danticat's mother told her that female writers were being rumored as "lying whores" in Haitian, which is really offensive. 

      On the other hand, the American-based stories sounded less harsh and terrible. Especially the "New York Day Women", the main female character in this story lives a normal life in New York with a office job and with her mother being able to afford what they wanted to eat without thinking while buying hotdogs. In the story "Caroline's wedding", even though the situation isn't as positive, bright comparing to the New York Day Women seeing so relaxed and airy. But Caroline's family is still living a better and completing life in contrast of those in Haitians suffering with extreme conditions mentally and physically. 

           Overall, these differences to say, are obvious to tell while reading. The tone and feeling of the story New York Day Women even seemed so incompatible to all the stories previously read in Krik Krak. But similarities of them suffering from what is happening and what have happend in Haiti---their home land, and their identity as a Haitian, still appears in their life. In the stroy " Caroline's wedding", she felt insecure and without a place she belongs before getting an American passport; the father having to pay and marry someone in order to come the United States also tells how hard their life have been just for a desire to settle in a more peaceful country. Also being sent to jail also made the girl and the family more desperate for the citizenship, this experience of being sent to jail for no serious crime reminded me of the stroy 1937 again. Also in New York Day Women where everything felt so peaceful, the mother still continues thinking of her homeland and the bad things that have been happening to the women and the poeple. It is like a brand and like a tattoo that will always be in the heart of a Haitian, especailly those who have seen or suffered because of being one of them, making all of their experiences similiar in some way.