"A Wall of Fire Rising" Analysis
"A Wall of Fire Rising"
What I think: Krik? Krak! a novel full of short stories that somehow all connect with one another. Each story revealing a new piece of information or another character that will be used in the next story. This is one of the reasons I loved reading Krik? Krak! Not only are all the stories tied together but they also incorporate different pieces of Hatian history in them, which makes the novel even more interesting and exciting to read. However, if I were to pick a favorite one of my stories in the novel, it would have to be "Wall of Fire Rising", which has an unexpected and tragic ending to it.
Main Characters:
The Father--> Guy
The Mother--> Lili
The Son--> Little Guy
The owner of the hot air balloon--> The Assad's
Info on Little Guy and his part in the play:
Little Guy just got a part in his school play, he got to be Boukman! For any of you who don't know who Boukman is, he is a revolutionary Haitian slave as well as a religious leader in a French Colony called Saint-Domingue. Boukman had aided Haiti in the fight to gain independence from France and he did this by starting a revolution that was against slavery of the natives there by the French colonials. This ended up being a success and in the year of 1804, the colony then became the republic of Haiti. So as you can imagine, his parents were very proud of their son getting to be this legendary figure in his own schools play! His mom, Lili, even says to Little Guy that "Boukman is the hero of the play" (Danticat, 46).
- Freedom:
--> In my opinion, all three characters (Guy, Lili, and Little Guy) revolve around the theme of freedom, wether it be pretending to have it, wanting it, or most importantly needing it.Theme of freedom in Little Guy:
--> Although Little Guy is too young to really understand the true meaning of freedom, the lines he repeatedly recites for the play he is in are focused on freedom. In fact, his mom asks him what is on his mind when he is practicing his lines and he replies by saying "Freedom!" "Freedom is on my mind" (Danticat, 47).
Theme of freedom in Guy:
Another one of the lines Little Guy recites for his play is, "I call on everyone and anyone so that we shall all let out one piercing cry that we may either live freely or we should die" (Danticat, 66). I believed that this line has a direct correlation to Guy. Later on in the story it becomes evident that Guy isn't really living a free and fulfilling life because he lives in a constant and endless battle of waking up and wanting to be able to provide more for his wife and son but can't because of the extreme poverty they are living in. In the end of the story he ironically ends up committing suicide by jumping out of the hot air balloon he has long yearned to ride in. His need and want for freedom is what ended up leading him to his death bed.
Theme of freedom in Lili:
Lili on the other hand, is also deprived of freedom, this is partly due to her everyday search and scavenging around for food to prepare for her family for supper. She wants her son and husband to come home to food on the table not only once in a while but every night.
Hope:
Hope:
Theme of freedom in Guy:
Guy has hope that one day he will be able to ride the hot air balloon and "sail off somewhere ss and keep floating until he got to a really nice place with a nice plot of land where he could be ss something new. He would build his own house, keep his own garden. And just be something ss new" (Danticat, 61).
Theme of freedom in Lili:
Lili has hope that Guy will take her advice and not ride in the hot air balloon because she thinks sssthat it is dangerous and he will get injured. Her hope is lost when Guy commits suicide by sssjumping out of the hot air balloon.
Sources: ----->“Boukman.” Boukman - TLP, thelouvertureproject.org/index.php?title=Boukman.
-----> Google Images
Sources: ----->“Boukman.” Boukman - TLP, thelouvertureproject.org/index.php?title=Boukman.
-----> Google Images
Great stuff, Mia. One additional point I found in the literary criticism (citation below) centers on the importance of "orality" for Danticat. For instance, oral story telling is important in "Children of the Sea," in which the open-boat refugees pass the time reciting tales. A different kind of orality is used by the female survivors of the massacre in "Nineteen Thirty-Seven" who identify one another through a series of call and response questions and answers. Last, there is Little Guy who uses oral recitation to recall the history of Boukman as you pointed out so nicely.
ReplyDeleteLoy, Pamela S., and Keidra Morris. "Krik? Krak!" Literature and Its Times Supplement 1: Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them, by Joyce Moss, vol. 2: The Great Depression and the New Deal to Future Times (1930s -), Gale, 2003, pp. 239-248. Gale Virtual Reference Library, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX2875200093/GVRL?u=gillsb_ca&sid=GVRL&xid=e8797ed5.
This is great Mia!!! Wall of Fire Rising was a very interesting story to read and especially shocking when Guy died:( I love how you made the themes clear in each character as well.
ReplyDeleteDT
For me, "Wall of Fire Rising" is an odd story with many mysterious plot points. I read the story a few times, and every time I always found something new that I didn't think of before. I like that you go in and analyze many plot points in the story that I found but didn't fully understand them. Great job! And keep up the good work!
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