Breath, Eyes, Memory-Edwidge Danticat

"Breath, Eyes, Memory," by Edwidge Danticat says a lot about a child's relationship with their mother, and what is expected of children when they grow up and the mother grows old. I saw a connection between "Breath, Eyes, Memory," and "The Joys of Motherhood" regarding the ideal of it is a child's duty to make sure their mother is taken care of and has a good life when she grows old. In "The Joys of Motherhood" Nnu Ego grew up in a culture where this is expected but later learned that times were changing and she could not depend on her children to take care of her. In "Breath, Eyes, Memory," Atie's mother does not expect to be taken care of, but Atie feels some obligation to do so. Atie's mother talks about how times have changed saying, "Those are the old ways. These days, they go so far, the children. People like me, we look after ourselves" (119). She also says that Atie feels she must live with her, not out of love, but out of duty (168). I am not sure whether Atie lives with her mother because she wants to or because she feels as if she has to. Towards the end of the novel, Atie's sadness and depression is brought up a lot, but it is not clear why she feels the way she does. I think that Atie does love her mother and wants to be with her, but there is still a little part of her that wishes she could be like her sister and go to America. I also think part of her sadness comes from the void that was created when Sophie left her. Her friend Louise seemed to fill that void a little bit, but when she too left her, she felt very betrayed and empty. Also, with no daughter of her own, there was always something missing in her life.