Final Dew Breaker Blog
November 14th, 2006 douglas
I am traditionally a big fan of the connected short story format of The Dew Breaker, Cane and Winesburg, Ohio. This method facilitates the telling of one story through several different perspectives. The stories in The Dew Breaker don’t seem to outwardly connect with the same location, point of view, etc., but tone, content and various motifs are found throughout all of the stories. The most broad theme throughout the stories is a modern view on the lives of Haitian-american immigrants. All stories reveal elements from the loosely related lives surrounding the actions of the “Dew Breaker”. Danticat’s use of the “short story” style chapters juxtaposes the lives affected by the Dew Breaker causing Dany, as well as the reader to recognize and ask ”why one single person” can posess the ”power to destroy his entire life”. The Dew Breaker is more than just a man who tortured prisoners a long time ago in Haiti. He and his actions are a focal point of the past that links together the other characters. He represents regret, change, remorse, and all other potential sentiments associated with a look back on past actions. He is a personification of the killings and injustices committed by all governments on their people, and these connecting stories show the depth of his influence on the lives in the future. The main purpose of The Dew Breaker is to show that the past is not really past, and the influence of one persons actions linger and magnify with the change in perspective created by time.
Entry Filed under: Reflections
