The Theme Of Freedom In Krik. Krak ! By Edwidge Danticat

The famous philosopher, Albert Camus once said: "The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion." Freedom is something that all humans value. Having the ability to do pretty much whatever you when you want is a privilege not a right. Unlike in the United States where we have that benefit, in Haiti the government has stripped that liberty from its own people with the new regime oppressing the citizens. Throughout the novel, Krik? Krak!, Edwidge Danticat suggests that death, water, and flight are the only methods to obtain freedom as a citizen under the rule of an oppressive government and culture.
The motif of death consistently resurfaces and Danticat uses it to
Guy’s intolerability of seeing his family have to live with a scarce amount of food and substandard living conditions forced him to formulate a plan to deal with his pain. The plan was to commit suicide by jumping off a hot air balloon tons of feet in the air: “Within seconds, Guy was in the air hurtling down towards the crowd… He crashed not far from where Lili and the boy were standing, his blood immediately soaking the landing spot” (65). The government’s incapability to provide for its country during these miserable times has turned the once beautiful country of Haiti into a poverized ruin. Moreover, Papa Doc’s regime has been oppressing the Haitians and spreading chaos throughout the entire country. The combination of poverty and the new regime under Papa Doc has personally restricted Guy’s choices on how to handle this agonizing situation with his family, the only available choice being suicide. Comparatively, there is another situation in which another father dies. In ‘Caroline’s Wedding,’ Caroline has to convince her mother that Eric is her true love. It is hard for Ma to accept this relationship because the Haitian culture doesn’t permit relationships that aren’t
The boy in this chapter is a target in Haiti for speaking out against the government and new regime. During his escape to Miami he feel like he was meant to die in the sea because all hope of making it to the United States is lost because of the boats terrible condition: “ Perhaps I was chosen from the beginning of time to live there with Agwe at the bottom of the sea. Maybe this is why I dreamed of the starfish and the mermaids having the Catholic Mass under the sea”(24). The Haitian government can’t provide quality boats to ensure that its citizens successfully reach the United States’ coastline. Attempting to escape in a boat that is prone to holes and continuously sinking is unfortunate and the boy starts to realize that the sea is the only way free himself of the target on his back since the option of reaching the U.S is no longer viable. Drowning in the ocean would free him of all the stress of living with a target on his back in Haiti. On the same boat a recently made mother was also put in a comparable situation. Celianne is a woman in that made her living off of prostitution and while on duty got pregnant. She then became an outcast which is displayed by the cuts on her face so she would be unrecognizable in public. Unfortunately, her baby lasted no longer than a few moments in this