Rape in "Breath, Eyes, Memory"

One of the most prominent issues in Breath, Eyes, Memory is female sexuality in general, and more specifically, the rape and sexual assault of women. Sophie Caco’s mother, Martine, was raped when she was a young girl and became pregnant with Sophie. Martine’s entire life was plagued by the rape, and she was never truly able to get past it. It was not only the rape that caused strife in Martine’s life, however. She was also seemingly traumatized by the “testing” that her mother performed on her when she was young. This “testing” was an a examination during which Martine’s mother felt her hymen to make sure it was still intact, and that she was still a virgin. Martine, however, was not the only girl who was tested for virginity. It seemed to be a common practice in the Haitian culture. Martine’s sister was tested, her mother was tested before her, and she, herself, tested her own daughter. It was a practice that the women could not seem to stop, but that emotionally harmed each of them.

According the BBC News, rape is a common practice with little consequence (for those who perform the rape, anyway) in Haiti (BBC News). Rape is a common atrocity all over the world, but it is seen differently in Haiti than in places like the United States. For example, a 16-year old girl named Mary Jane was trapped in corridor by a man from her neighborhood while on her way to buy water. He raped her and would not let go when he was finished. He continued to hurt her by hitting. Mary Jane stabbed the man with a pair of scissors, and he later died. The 16-year old was imprisoned in an adult jail for two years for killing the man. (BBC News)

This is an example of the way in which men are favored over women in Haiti. Rape wasn’t made a crime until 2005, and, still, few men are prosecuted for the offense (BBC News). According the UN, almost half of all women under the age of 18, who are living in Haitian slums, have been raped (BBC News).

This use of sex as a weapon in Haiti affects women negatively in many ways, as is demonstrated by the women, especially Martine, in the novel. Virginity is obviously very important to the women, and it is extremely difficult for them when it is stolen from them. Martine is so traumatized by her rape that, while pregnant with her second child, she has delusions of hearing the rapist’s voice from her unborn child. She is so affected by this that she stabs herself in the stomach, killing her and her child.

It is obvious from the examples throughout the novel and the information from BBC News that women are very subjugated by sexual control. They are controlled through rape and through “testing” for virginity. It is important for them to stay pure, but it is made difficult for them by the many men who seem to see rape as a right of theirs.

“Rape looms large over Haiti slums”. BBC News. 2008.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7750568.stm