Summary Of New York Day Women By Edwidge Danticat

Edwidge Danticat, short story, “New York Day Women”, records the lives of a Haitian immigrant woman and her Americanized daughter both living in New York City. In the short story, her daughter, Suzette, surreptitiously tailgates her mother as she meanders through a part of the city that the daughter had speculated to be unaccustomed to her. Therefore, she recognizes previously unknown things, such as her mother's amusement of window-shopping. The authenticity of her mother gazing at extravagant commodities utterly surprises the daughter, but that she cherishes native attire engages the daughter into the intricacies of her mother's views. Suzette is not only watching and wondering about her mother, she is strenuously reminiscing and codifying

Her criticism seems to be legitimized when her daughter is steering from her Haitian heritage. According to the State University of New York, “In Haitian families, children are thought to be gifts from God, and parents, specifically mothers, will do almost anything to meet their child’s needs. (UCNY)” Haitian mothers believe that their children are a blessing from the most high, and they will do anything to make sure that they are well taken care of. In the story, the mother tries to teach her daughter the ways of life by telling her stories from back home and giving her typical advice such as giving a seat to pregnant or elderly women while riding public transportation. The daughter admits, “Sometimes I get up and give my seats. Other times, I don’t. (Danticat238)” This symbolized that the daughter is reluctant in helping those in need, even something as simple as giving up her seat to and elderly women. As she reminiscing about what her mother has taught her, while trailing her on her journey, she realize that her mother is an extraordinary women and she starts to see her in a different

The author manages to give her readers two different points of views, by including these regenerated words of the mother. At some points the two types of dialogue seems to run in coordination with each other, while at others they seem to almost merge into a kind of imagined conversation. As if her mother was her inner voice. Seeing Suzette’s mother interact with the city is colorful in the way it shows us how one is capable of maintaining a clear identity despite the influence of a more modern culture. The daughter loves her mother; however she did not understand her certain ways, such as saving their old clothes and shipping it back home. Despite the fact that Suzette is consider herself as an Americanize Haitian women, she starts to respect her mother as a traditional Haitian women trying to make a living in a busy, noisy New York City. In a sense, her mother spies on the city, and the daughter spies on her mother. Therefore, the daughter starts to see the world through her mother