The Dew Breaker, Edwidge Danticat’s recent book, consist of nine individual short stories which can be read either by themselves or together as a whole. The title, a creole word for torturer, refers to the brutal Tonton Macoutes, a military force run by the ex-dictator of Haiti, who would come in the early hours of morning to take prisoners or worse. The nine short stories tell accounts of different people, all with one uniting factor: their life was effected by the Dew Breaker. One of the short stories called “Water Child” tells the story a Nadine, an estranged nurse haunted by the fact that she had an abortion, who forms a bond with one of her voiceless patients, Ms. Hinds. The text excerpt is a thought of advice that Nadine has when for Ms. Hinds when she is taken home by her parents. Her advice was a little insight on what life is going to be like for Ms. Hinds now that she cannot speak. When reading the passage, it becomes obvious that Nadine is speaking from experience which may seem impossible since Nadine has always had the ability to speak, but even with that ability, Nadine chooses not to speak …show more content…
Hinds so well due to the fact that she willingly experiences the same situation. The majority of Nadine’s co-workers avoided her because, “Nadine Osnac was not seen as a friendly woman. Anyone who had sought detailed conversation with her, or who had shared interest in sharing the same table while she was sitting there, had met only with cold silence and a blank stare out to the Psych ward,” just like Ms. Hinds was seen as violent when she awoke and realized she could not speak (Danticat 45). Only Nadine understood what Ms. Hinds was experiencing and that is why she yelled at everyone in the room to leave Ms. Hinds alone. Both women were falsely judged by the workers of the hospital because they did not take into account the circumstances of the two ladies’ situations; instead, they just looked at their