The Dew Breaker Analysis

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After a series of events in “The Dew Breaker”, Anne understands that the life of a loved one or you could be over at any minute, and this fear drives her to not take things for granite. As Anne reflects on her life, she thinks about a fear of hers, “this fright that the most powerful relationships of her life were always on the verge of being severed or lost, that the people closest to her always disappearing” (242). Anne, having lost her stepbrother and younger brother, has a fear that one day her husband or daughter will be taken away from her also. She metaphorically relates to this through a phone call with her daughter. “But her daughter was already gone, lost, accidentally or purposely, in the hum of the dial tone” (242). In the context …show more content…

Loved ones have their own place in your heart, and when they are taken away, there is a void. Anne describes the missing spirits in her heart, “These spirits, they’d left her for good the morning that the news was broadcast on the radio that her brother had set his body on fire in the prison yard at dawn, leaving behind no corpse to bury, no trace of himself at all” (242). Hearing the news that her brother left no trace of himself in the prison yard, his spot in Anne’s heart went missing also, leaving a void. Anne will always remember her brother, and the memories that they shared together, but she will not be able to create any more memories with him. Anne wants nothing more to be with someone, as Danticat writes, “She wished she had someone with her now, to get her past the silence”(242). As Anne’s loved ones begin to fade, she longs for someone to be with her through hard times. Edwidge Danticat illustrates the theme of loneliness in this chapter to emphasize the importance of having loved ones close to you in your life. The importance of holding onto loved ones was prevalent in this passage. It is important to keep people close to you and cherish their presence. The world is a crazy, unpredictable place, so being able to live life to the fullest will help you immensely. In The Dew Breaker, Edwidge Danticat masterfully incorporates important life lessons