The Cycle of Freedom

Laced throughout the poetry of Naomi Shihab Nye in 19 Varieties of Gazelle and the short stories of Edwidge Danticat in Krik? Krak! is the use of winged beings—particularly birds and butterflies—and the sky as symbols of freedom and escape from socioeconomic, political, and even cultural bondage.  The imagery is not difficult to envision; few sights have led to more uplifting daydreams than that of wings silhouetted against a deep blue sky.  In Caroline’s Wedding, the final story in Danticat’s collection, however, readers are shown another more painful facet of avian imagery.

This story tells the tale of three Haitian women—a mother and her two daughters—living in Brooklyn, NY.  Like Danticat herself, the mother and oldest daughter had immigrated to the United States to join their now deceased husband and father; the younger daughter, Caroline, was born in America.  When the story begins, Caroline has become engaged to a Bahamian man named Eric; her mother, Hermine, is extremely disappointed that her daughter is getting “…married outside…” (161) of their heritage.  As the story progresses, the upcoming wedding continues to be a source of tension between mother and child, although slowly, “Ma” becomes more and more resigned to the idea, accepting that she will be unable to separate two young people in love.

It is when Hermine begins to realize that she has no choice, really, but to accept her daughter’s future that Danticat reveals this other meaning for imagery involving birds; she quotes Hermine as saying, “We’re not like birds…we don’t just kick our children out of our nests” (164).  In this line, as is evidenced throughout the remained of the story, Danticat is indicating that, like so many things, freedom comes with some cost.  For example, Hermine struggles with how seemingly American her children are; while the country has provided them greater freedom and greater opportunity, she sees her daughters as rebellious against their true culture.  As a mother and an immigrant, she cannot simply abandon her children knowing and sometimes merely hoping that she has given them the tools to survive and live well.  To the children, however, this can have a shackling effect—the exact opposite of the freedom flying so often represents. Caroline, for example, feels frustration with her mother and the beliefs and superstitions that “Ma” is convinced will cure her daughter and make her see sense regarding her fiancé.
Ironically, however, after her wedding and honeymoon, Caroline speaks to her mother and asks that her bed be left intact, just in case she wants to come home to visit.  And so we see that there is a continuing cycle of freedom—once emancipation, in whatever form, has been obtained, there exists a greater appreciation for the comforts that exist at home, in the nest.