The role of storytelling

Telling story is a tradition for Haitians’ family. There are many memoriable histories and fables pass through generation by generation by storytelling. Haitians tell what they hear from their mother to their children while they are braiding hair. Another reason storytelling is important is because writer was a dangerous job for people in Haiti at that time. They would be killed cruelly. Then writing is substituted by storytelling, since normal people choose passing customs down orally. So storytelling for Haitians is like writing for the author. She wrote “When you write, it’s like braiding your hair. Taking a handful of coarse unruly strands and attempting to bring them unity” (192, Danticat) and “You remember thinking while braiding your hair that you look a lot like your mother” (192) in epilogue. Braiding hair and storytelling exist deeply in their culture which means they will always remember what they have been through and take those memories as motivations to inspire people. 

Sometimes, storytelling also could be a ray of sunlight in the dark cold night. It actually can light up hope for people to chase. In The Night Women, the mother is a prostitute, and she always tells bed-time stories when her son goes to sleep. Many of those stories are fairy tales becuase she tries to her son believe that the happy fairy well come by their side one day and also makes herself believe their future is still have hope no matter how hard the life is right now. Those unrealistic stories support her to continue this harsh job for raising her young and giving him opportunity to get education. Storytelling is important because it actually supports Haitians spiritually. 

Histories and traditions are passed down by storytelling. No matter where you are, you should always remember who are you and where are you from because that is your identities and your belonging. That place and that group of people will give you a feeling of home. In Caroline’s wedding, even those immigrants came to the United States for a long time, that old generation still remember Haiti--their hometown. They tell their children about their own experiences such as how they came to American and what had they been through. And they always emphasize that they are Haitians and hope their children could retain their cultures. Another example is when Grace and Caroline’s father died, their mother told them to were black and white and red. I believe this is an old tradition that only they have. And they will remember this tradition because that was what their mother told them. 

“Someone says, Krik? You answer, Krak! And they say, I have many stories I could tell you, and then they go on and tell these stories to you, but mostly to themselves.” (12) The title of the book Krik? Krak! is like a contact password of telling a story, which symbolizes that the whole book is telling stories. The author wants to use the storytelling way to tell the readers about Haitians’ live.