Blog Post 9/30

 Throughout the first three stories in Krik? Krak! there is a dominant theme of hopelessness that ultimately leads to each characters death. Each story withholds death, directly stimulated from the brutality faced by the Haitian people from its oppressive government. The brutality causes the hopelessness felt by Haiti's people. They seek restored peace and freedom only to face inevitable death. From the slaughtering on the river, to sinking refugee boats, and its people being thrown in jail, They are stripped of all hope, ultimately leading their deaths. War brings out the worst in people and it is constantly felt through each story.


In "Children of the Sea" Célianne, a pregnant 15 year old is fleeing Haiti. She was in danger of being killed if she were to stay in Haiti. Her brother Lionel was part of the resistance and thrown in jail by the macoutes. He was most likely tortured or killed. Célianne was rapped by multiple macoute solders and became pregnant in result. She gave birth to her child on the sinking boat, but the baby was still born. Célianne jumped off the boat into the sea after throwing her child overboard. They both became children of the sea. Death was inevitable for Célianne even before she died. Her identity was killed once she and her family underwent the extreme credulity felt by the Haitian government.



In "Nineteen Thirty-Seven" Manman has been in prison for a significant amount of time. She is stripped of all her hopes. She is starving, having to survive off of the food her daughter brings her. She chews and spits up this food, swallowing her saliva. This makes the food last as long as possible. "What has this world come to when the sun can no longer warm God's creatures?" Manman says this during one of the last visits her daughter pays her. Through each visit we can see the life and hope being sucked out of Manman. At the end of "Nineteen Thirty-Seven" Manman sadly is beaten to death by the prison guards.


In "A Wall of Fire Rising" hopelessness is present throughout the life of Guy. He has been living a life filled with no passion, feeling the full effect of the oppressive Haitian government. He is unhappy and Guy believes there is no real opportunity for himself. He commits suicide by jumping out of a hot air balloon, abandoning his wife and child. We can see Guy's hopelessness through many of the conversations he has with his wife. It is evident that Guy has fixation with the hot air balloon at the mill. All these conversations foreshadow his death.  Ironically the quotes his son, Little Guy needs to memorize for school summarizes Guy's life. "There is so much sadness in the faces of my people. I have called their gods, now I call on our gods. I call on the young. I call on our old. I call on our mighty and the weak. I call on everyone and anyone so that we shall all let out one piercing cry that we may either live freely or we should die." This quote shows the hopelessness that presents itself through all three stories. It shows that the Haitian people have gone through generations of suffering, and they have called on the Gods for help. There prays have not been answered and the oppression faced by the people has lead to all deaths each character has faced.