The State of Martine

It seems as if Martine's illness on the plane ride back to New York from Haiti could be seen as an allegory for her mental state of mind, as she has pretty much been a wreck since Sophie's return. When Sophie asks if her mother's cancer returns she responds: "It's my discomfort with being in Haiti. I want to go back there only to be buried." (179). That statement also seems to foreshadow some sort of resolution to end her troubles, which gradually grow worse as she is revealed to be pregnant at the beginning of Part 4, as she fears that she cannot survive a birth due to the weakened state that her cancer has left her in. Additionally, the concept of her giving birth to another child brings back her violent nightmares, resulting in Martine's desire to have an abortion, much like what she wanted to do with Sophie when she was pregnant with her.

It can be argued that Sophie may have inherited her mother's issues with sexuality, as the virginity tests that Martine administered in Sophie's teenage years may have had an explicit effect upon her in the way that it did upon Martine. It makes the reader wonder if Sophie will do the same with her daughter, Brigitte. I personally believe that she may break tradition in her pursuit of freedom, plus, Sophie seems to observe how tradition has caused misery amongst her mother and grandmother, and to an extent, herself. As a result, I believe that she may not desire Brigitte to endure the same fate. As it has yet to become an issue within the story, it is difficult to tell for sure whether or not Sophie, who has arguably inherited her mother's mentality to a degree, would pass it onto her daughter. All that is certain is that both Martine and Sophie have issues, granted the effects it has upon the former is much more prevalent than on the latter.