Posterity is the survival of families through their children. In the book Krik? Krak!, author Edwidge Danticat uses several fictional short stories to showcase the daily struggles of Haitians. In her novel, the hope in future generations helps Haitians endure hardship.
People face hardship by sacrificing for their children. In “Wall of Fire Rising”, Guy and his wife Lili survive for their son Little Guy. They endure extreme poverty and the father goes through depression. They try their best to provide all they can for him, even if they have to suffer. Danticat narrates, “When things were really bad for the family, they boiled clean sugarcane pulp to make what Lili called her special sweet water tea. That and a pinch of salt under the tongue could usually quench hunger until Guy found a day’s work or Lili could manage to buy spices on credit and then peddle them for a profit at the marketplace” (49). Lili and Guy do all they can for their son. They endure sufferings for
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In most of the stories, the older generation sacrifices for children - and by extension their family. This is most prominent in “Night Women”, a chapter in which a young woman prostitutes herself so her son can live. She narrates, “A firefly buzzes around the room, finding him and not me” (72). Most mothers in this book sacrifice what they must for their children. When she needs to, she will sacrifice her own life so her family will endure. The light from the firefly symbolizes hope, and the hope for the future gravitates towards him. This is also shown in “Children of the Sea”, when a young man leaves his girlfriend to his family can survive. The boy explains, “Your father will probably marry you off now, since I am gone. Whatever you do, please don’t marry a soldier. They’re almost not human,” (4). In this story, the young man sacrifices his love for a chance to help his family survive through him, by leaving on a ship to the