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Freshman Comp II 10196 December 11th 2018 Many authors write their works based on their own lives, knowing this the first author that comes to mind is Edwidge Danticat. Danticat is a Haitian - American author born in Port au - Prince Haiti in 1969 and has since become the recipient of various honorary degrees and multiple awards for her writing. As an immigrant growing up in America she turned to literature as a source of comfort whenever she faced difficulty adapting to life in the United States. Danticat’s primary themes revolve around national identity and mother- daughter relationships, both of which are shown in her short story “New York Day Women” written in 1991. “New York Day Women” follows a young Haitian - American woman, Suzette on her lunch break as she spots her mother out and about in Manhattan. This is something Suzette is taken back by as she’s never seen her mother step a foot outside Brooklyn, or even take the subway without fear. As Suzette follows her mother she begins to reflect on past quotes her mother has said whenever her mother does something Suzette had no idea her mother did. For example, when she’s looking through a dress stall Suzette knows that if her mother purchases a dress it would either go to Goodwill or the family garage where it will one day make its way back to Haiti, “Twenty years we have been saving all kids of things for the relatives in Haiti”. Danticat includes these lines as a way of relating to the audience, for example most immigrant families will often hold onto unused belongings for the purpose of “sending it back home”, even though most of the time these items aren't sent at all. Possibly the most important example in the story is in the beginning, Suzette is in awe when she sees her mother buy and eat a street hotdog full of salt and remembers her mother remarking “I cannot just swallow salt. Salt is heavier than

a hundred bags of shame”. This scene is small but significant, because there really is no deeper meaning as to why Suzette’s mother is buying and eating a hot dog. Her mother is simply living in the moment, not as an immigrant or even as Suzette’s mother, but herself in the city. While these lines can be seen as humorous, they actually exemplify the struggles immigrants go through when assimilating in a entirely new country. Many of the quotes Suzette remembers of her mother are with the mentality of not of an American but of a Haitian, “That’s a blessing believe you me, even if American doctors say by that time you can make retarded babies”. This of course clashes with Suzette who was primarily brought up in America, “My mother, who accuses me of random offenses as I dash out of the house”. Towards the end of the story it seems like her mother knows that too, stating that she didn’t need to to to Suzette’s parent- teacher conferences because she didn’t want her daughter to be “.....ashamed of this day woman”, aka embarrassing her daughter with her foreign nature. This shows another difference between mother and daughter when Suzette mentions that her mother taught herself to read in Haiti while Suzette went to school in America. Of course Suzette loves her mother the same, following her around Manhattan while on her lunch break making sure her mother knows exactly what she’s doing. Along with following her mother Suzette thinks of her mother in admiration, especially when she recalls that her mother taught herself to read. It’s unclear why Suzette didn’t just go up to her mother and greet her but in the end it worked out and Suzette is able to see that her mother grew comfortable living in America or at least gotten used to it. What makes this short story stand out in particular is the way Danticat formats it. At first glance the reader would think that the story was told in the perspective of both Suzette and her mother when in reality it’s only Suzette’s point of view. This is because whenever Suzette is

remembering her mother’s quotes the text would be bolder than the plotline, highlighting her inner thoughts and allowing the reader to understand why exactly she’s shocked at her mother seemingly thriving in the city. Danticat brings attention to the phrase “Day Women” two times in the story in reference to Suzette’s mother. “Day Woman”, means a babysitter or housekeeper that doesn’t live with their employers. Suzette refers to her mother as a day woman when she sees her mother take care of a small blond boy for a short period. The second time the term “day woman” is mentioned it is by the mother regarding parent teacher conferences, this time it is not meant as a babysitter, but rather referring to a foreign woman, “I don’t want you to be ashamed of this day woman”. Although “New York Day Women” spans only a few pages, Edwidge Danticat paints the bigger picture of immigration and familial relationships through a short story that may hit close to home with the audience in regards to being immigrants or having immigrant families. In a way Danticat also paints her own story in this narrative since like her character Suzette, she is used to life in America while her own parents may have had trouble assimilating.

Works Cited Danticat, Edwidge. Krik? Krak! New York Day Women. Soho Press, 2015.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Edwidge Danticat.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 16 May 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Edwidge-Danticat....