Children of the Sea

“Children of the Sea” by Edwidge Danticat is narrated by two people that are in love that write letters to each other about their daily hardships and experiences. The male is on a boat heading to Miami because he was part of a revolutionary group that was being chased by the military. The female tells writes from Haiti and tells of the violence going on in their homeland. These letters are never delivered. As the boat begins to sink the male is forced to throw his journal in the sea. The story starts with the quote: “They say behind mountains are more mountains…I also know there are timeless waters, endless seas, and lots of people in this world whose names don’t matter to anyone but themselves” (3). This has great significance as it gives the reader the understanding that even if they escape there is still never ending problems as the sea they are travelling in holds countless bodies of people who also tried to escape. Even though the boat itself symbolizes hope and faith, the fact that many have died in their attempt for a new life contradicts the significance of the boat. For example, the male narrator often writes about the pregnant girl on the boat, Celianne. She gives birth to a dead baby and to prevent the boat from sinking has to throw her baby in the sea results in her throwing herself in the sea. This to me gives the understanding of new life yet since the baby is born dead it also gives the understanding of no hope. The female narrator often talks about how butterflies can give messages: a black butterfly symbolizing death. In the end of the story the male narrator accepts his fate by saying “I know that my memory of you will live even there as I too become a child of the sea” (28). On the other hand, the female refuses to accept reality as the black butterflies come to her. The story gives the theme of how hope can make accepting reality can difficult.