Flight to Freedom

1757 Words8 Pages
Edwidge Danticat’s short story, A Wall of Fire Rising is peppered with messages of the Haitian struggle even as it centers on three people, the mother, Lili, the father, Guy, and their son, little Guy. It is Guy whom is most afflicted by the inherent human desire to want what he cannot have, the chance to rise above his destitute life. Through his character, Danticat effectively illustrates one’s ability to hope, which deeply resonates with this reader due to the dramatic role dreams tend to play in life. For Guy, the reoccurring object of his dream is the hot air balloon; it symbolizes freedom and hope as well as a way to escape the unjust cycle of poverty life has forced upon him. Freedom can take varying forms, which can be achieved in many ways and Guy’s final flight towards freedom as his wife and son watches on, depicts an extreme way one can deal with the challenges of life as well as the complex parallel between him and Lili. Unlike Lili, Guy seeks solace in his fantasies; it is his inability to actualize them that morphs him from a static character into a far more dynamic one and causes him to make the final leap towards the only independence he can ever have, while his wife on the other hand, is able to accept their circumstances and is comforted not by dreams but by her son, for it is little Guy that reignites the symbol of hope that has faded in the eyes of her husband. The vivid words which Danticat uses to describe Guy’s desire of being manumitted from the bondage of his dismal life allows the reader to connect with his character and the detailed imagery compels one to become involved in the story. The author takes great care in ensuring that the reader understands how Guy’s dreams not only define him as a person but also guides the way he navigates through life as well as how affects his future that follows. Once the reader comprehends the importance
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