Chapter One-Introduction "If 'difference' is what makes culture visible to observers, then the em... more Chapter One-Introduction "If 'difference' is what makes culture visible to observers, then the emphasis on difference has the merit of underscoring specificities that would be muted and ignored otherwise." Françoise Lionnet, "Logique Métisses" (1995) "I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood." Audre Lorde, "The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action" (1977) One attribute unique to the human experience and yet unifying for humanity is the ability to speak, to have a voice representative of who we are and recognizable by its quality. Voice, the ability to verbalize the longings and wishes of the heart, is intricately tied to our understanding of human identity. It is an identifying feature of our Self and our identity as both a human and an individual. Our voice is uniquely our own, and therefore, when it is taken, silenced, or ignored, our identity cannot be clearly represented or expressed; we are not clearly representing our Self. Voice is intricately connected not only to what we verbalize, but also the written word. In literature, authors have the responsibility and opportunity to not only share their own voice in a very permanent way, but often to serve as a representative voice for a greater community at large. When writers tell their story, they are sharing the experience of the characters they have created, as well as parts of themselves. The ability to shape a story is unique to the human experience, and it is what allows us to create a unique sense of who we are. Some writers, in particular, truly see their writing as an extension of themselves, and sometimes it becomes nearly impossible to separate the lives of these authors from the stories they Oldacre 4 tell. Especially when these are fictional stories being told, writers have the difficulty of telling a story that is not "reality." However, when the characters, settings, and conflicts are reminiscent of the struggles and victories of the author and his or her cultural and historical context, a reader can begin to identify more fully with the story they are telling. It is clear for many writers that their history, their culture, and their past experiences compel them to tell their unique stories. I assert that it is this very act of storytelling that creates a sense of who we are as human beings, and that writers have the unique capability of recording these stories for those other than themselves. Kate Chopin, Zora Neale Hurston, and Edwidge Danticat are three such writers who allow the stories they write to serve as an extension of themselves. Although these women, on the surface, are very different American writers writing their narratives at very different times in history, their commonality comes in their ability to communicate the stories of their protagonists, who in unique ways, experience life a little bit like the respective author. This commonality is further exposed with their desire to create a voice through what they write for a population often historically ignored or silenced-women. Not only are they telling the specific stories of people who look and think and act like them and those they have known, but these authors' works are highlighting an important voice that has often been missing throughout American literature. It is evident that these authors and their novels, The Awakening (1899), Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), and The Dew Breaker (2004) respectively, show the power of voice and silence in American literature and the very clear ways that this voice, or lack of it, expresses a person's, and protagonist's, Self and identity. Oldacre 5 Chopin, Hurston, and Danticat each represent a unique time in American history, and thus their writing, their voice, is representative of a group larger than themselves. Elaine Showalter considers women's literature in this way in "American Questions" a chapter from her book Sister's Choice, "I wanted to avoid the idea that women's writing had a universal sameness that might be biological or psychological. Rather… women's writing had to be seen historically, in its specific national contexts" (2). Each author is characteristic of their historical moment, and it is their differences that help define American women's literature. Kate Chopin's protagonist, Edna, in The Awakening represents women at the turn of the twentieth century struggling to self-identify in a male dominated society. Although Edna is ultimately unsuccessful in her ability to create a complex identity, Chopin uses her death and failure to assert the necessity of a multifaceted voice. Zora Neale Hurston's Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God continues to represent women in her time still seeking to be recognized as a valuable and independent individual in human society following the literature of freedom of the 1920s and the Depression of the 1930s, but adds an additional layer as she also seeks to represent her culture as an African-American woman. Although often associated with the tradition, Hurston is writing long after the Harlem Renaissance, and literature during this time that did not operate as a more serious cultural representation was often rejected or ignored. Hurston's work comes to fruition during this time causing many to question the role an African-American woman writer should have. Finally, Ka in Danticat's The Dew Breaker represents more modern women, particularly Haitians and Haitian-Americans, struggling to establish their identity as "hyphenated" Americans (Haitian-American etc.). Danticat's voice enters the scene historically at a time when the cultural
Chapter One-Introduction "If 'difference' is what makes culture visible to observers, then the em... more Chapter One-Introduction "If 'difference' is what makes culture visible to observers, then the emphasis on difference has the merit of underscoring specificities that would be muted and ignored otherwise." Françoise Lionnet, "Logique Métisses" (1995) "I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood." Audre Lorde, "The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action" (1977) One attribute unique to the human experience and yet unifying for humanity is the ability to speak, to have a voice representative of who we are and recognizable by its quality. Voice, the ability to verbalize the longings and wishes of the heart, is intricately tied to our understanding of human identity. It is an identifying feature of our Self and our identity as both a human and an individual. Our voice is uniquely our own, and therefore, when it is taken, silenced, or ignored, our identity cannot be clearly represented or expressed; we are not clearly representing our Self. Voice is intricately connected not only to what we verbalize, but also the written word. In literature, authors have the responsibility and opportunity to not only share their own voice in a very permanent way, but often to serve as a representative voice for a greater community at large. When writers tell their story, they are sharing the experience of the characters they have created, as well as parts of themselves. The ability to shape a story is unique to the human experience, and it is what allows us to create a unique sense of who we are. Some writers, in particular, truly see their writing as an extension of themselves, and sometimes it becomes nearly impossible to separate the lives of these authors from the stories they Oldacre 4 tell. Especially when these are fictional stories being told, writers have the difficulty of telling a story that is not "reality." However, when the characters, settings, and conflicts are reminiscent of the struggles and victories of the author and his or her cultural and historical context, a reader can begin to identify more fully with the story they are telling. It is clear for many writers that their history, their culture, and their past experiences compel them to tell their unique stories. I assert that it is this very act of storytelling that creates a sense of who we are as human beings, and that writers have the unique capability of recording these stories for those other than themselves. Kate Chopin, Zora Neale Hurston, and Edwidge Danticat are three such writers who allow the stories they write to serve as an extension of themselves. Although these women, on the surface, are very different American writers writing their narratives at very different times in history, their commonality comes in their ability to communicate the stories of their protagonists, who in unique ways, experience life a little bit like the respective author. This commonality is further exposed with their desire to create a voice through what they write for a population often historically ignored or silenced-women. Not only are they telling the specific stories of people who look and think and act like them and those they have known, but these authors' works are highlighting an important voice that has often been missing throughout American literature. It is evident that these authors and their novels, The Awakening (1899), Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), and The Dew Breaker (2004) respectively, show the power of voice and silence in American literature and the very clear ways that this voice, or lack of it, expresses a person's, and protagonist's, Self and identity. Oldacre 5 Chopin, Hurston, and Danticat each represent a unique time in American history, and thus their writing, their voice, is representative of a group larger than themselves. Elaine Showalter considers women's literature in this way in "American Questions" a chapter from her book Sister's Choice, "I wanted to avoid the idea that women's writing had a universal sameness that might be biological or psychological. Rather… women's writing had to be seen historically, in its specific national contexts" (2). Each author is characteristic of their historical moment, and it is their differences that help define American women's literature. Kate Chopin's protagonist, Edna, in The Awakening represents women at the turn of the twentieth century struggling to self-identify in a male dominated society. Although Edna is ultimately unsuccessful in her ability to create a complex identity, Chopin uses her death and failure to assert the necessity of a multifaceted voice. Zora Neale Hurston's Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God continues to represent women in her time still seeking to be recognized as a valuable and independent individual in human society following the literature of freedom of the 1920s and the Depression of the 1930s, but adds an additional layer as she also seeks to represent her culture as an African-American woman. Although often associated with the tradition, Hurston is writing long after the Harlem Renaissance, and literature during this time that did not operate as a more serious cultural representation was often rejected or ignored. Hurston's work comes to fruition during this time causing many to question the role an African-American woman writer should have. Finally, Ka in Danticat's The Dew Breaker represents more modern women, particularly Haitians and Haitian-Americans, struggling to establish their identity as "hyphenated" Americans (Haitian-American etc.). Danticat's voice enters the scene historically at a time when the cultural
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