The Haitian Political Climate

]The Haitian political climate in the story, “Children of the Sea,” forced the characters to flee their hometowns and be separated from their friends and families. Macoutes, or a group of soldiers who worked for the dictator, would go around to kill and torture anyone who was opposed of the dictator. They would also rape women and arrest people for no legitimate reason. The female narrator and her family fled to Ville Rose after their neighbor was shot by macoutes. The female narrator was also supposed to be targeted, but her father paid them off. Before the female narrator left, the male narrator, who was her lover, fled on a boat and they promised to write each other letters. The male narrator was forced to flee because he was part of the
Youth Federation. From the letter the female narrator wrote to him, she said that “A group of students got shot in front of fort dimanch prison today. They were demonstrating for the bodies of radio six. That’s what they are calling you. … a lot of people think you are dead like the others.” (Danticat 7). If he had stayed he could’ve gotten shot by macoutes and put his family and loved ones in danger. The characters left their hometowns because of Haiti’s political climate, and went to a place that’s safer and where they won’t be in constant danger.