Edwidge Danticat

         “Brother I am Dying” was such a heartfelt novel. It allowed for true meaning of immigration to be unlocked and expounded upon. Haiti as an island is now viewed under a different lens for me now. In the novel, Danticat places a strong connection of family and illness. She shows not only the pain of her Uncle and Father through their eyes, but also through the eyes and bodies of their offspring and wives. The diseases to which her Uncle Joseph and father possess are deadly. They are not diseases for which there is a cure or even treatment for that matter. These setbacks in their lives does not hinder them to the point where they cannot perform physically all together, but they definitely do not make the process easier. With this being said, their belief in God seems to guide their lives, which is very different from the Americanized way of thinking with Haitians believing in Voodoo (which was later mentioned in formal papers regarding herbal remedies by an American officer).

            A major relation to the US government and Haiti was the issue Maxo and Uncle Joseph had with customs while in the Airport in Miami. I am aware Uncle Joseph spoke badly on his behalf, but the ways in which U.S. policy has no mercy on immigrants is almost scary to a certain extent. This was an individual whom had been traveling to the U.S. for over thirty years and had the documents to show, but was still treated as if he was a foreigner. A foreigner was where they immediately placed this eighty-one year old man with high blood pressure, an over-sized prostate, and a voice box. This was simply saying the U.S. only cares about the well-being of their own, outsiders vs. insiders. This event reminded me of the many immigrants which try to enter the United States even with the correct documents, and still stereotyped as persons of “unfit bodies.” This reminded me of discourse associated around native women transnationally through their bodies by White European men.

            Lastly, my main concern was created though the image Danticat gave the doctors in the U.S. in comparison to the Haitian doctors. She revealed the different types of advanced technology presented in the U.S.; therefore, reinforcing the idea of First World vs. Third World. She also takes a couple steps back and mentions the after effects of such major surgeries. Although, America was the place for “supposedly” better medical treatment, it was also a place of “sorry, there’s nothing else I can do.” In which, the herbal remedies from the Haitian doctors were taken into high consideration for healing. In all, America is viewed as a place of freedom, but only conditioned freedom. It is only the land of the free for those who are truly free. Are any of us, people of color I mean, really free from bondage here in the U.S.? This is a question I would like to investigate as a U.S. citizen born and raised.