“Sunrise, Sunset” by Edwidge Danticat

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“Sunrise, Sunset” by Edwidge Danticat is a story that contains the theme of motherhood in general and a strained mother-daughter relationship in particular. The main women characters who reflect the theme of motherhood include Carole, Carole’s mother, her daughter Jeanne, and Grace (Jeanne’s mother in law). Carole grew up in the Caribbean country of Haiti under conditions of poverty and government oppression. At the age of twelve, Carole’s father left their homeland for Cuba and never came back (Treisman). Therefore, Carole was left in the care of her mother who had to clean people’s houses to survive on meager pay.
The first instance of a strained mother-daughter relationship is seen during Carole’s childhood. Carole’s friend next door is often screamed at by her mother who complains that she has become a burden. The story goes on to reveal the strength, bravery, and perseverance of women by alluding to Carole’s aunt who tried to defend her husband from being arrested by the government henchmen (Danticat). She almost died from the beatings, but she was brave enough to defend her family. Similarly, Carole’s mother did not despair or abandon her responsibility to protect and care for her daughter after her husband left for Cuba when their daughter was twelve years old. She struggled through thick and thin to bring up a responsible, hardworking, and ambitious daughter. No wonder, the story is set in the United States where Carole had migrated with her husband Victor in search of a better life.
Although Carole had managed to build a new home and a different life in America with her U.S-born children (Jeanne and Paul), her relationship with her 32-year-old daughter who recently gave birth to her first grandson (Jude) is strained. On the one hand, Carole is now elderly and she has signs of dementia. Therefore, she is forgetful, unpredictable, and sometimes violent: “She pushed the door shut, grabbed Jeanne by the shoulders, and slammed her into it...” (Danticat). On the other hand, Je...