Jamie DaSilva
Professor Nicholas Helms
Currents in Global Literature
20 October, 2023
After reading The Dew Breaker and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African I became fascinated by the way each book portrays the theme of hope. Both novels describe the hardships people of color have faced and how they remained hopeful during all of their hardships. Equiano describes what it was like to fight to get his freedom back after becoming enslaved for the majority of his life and how he remained hopeful. The Dew Breaker describes how family’s that all have a connection to the same horrible situation in Haiti have remained hopeful that they could move past it and have better lives. I created this annotated bibliography to help highlight the ways in which hope is shown throughout both texts. I added the links to each article after each citation to make the articles accessible for those who want to read them.
Annotated Bibliography
Danticat, Edwidge. The Dew Breaker. W. Ross MacDonald School Resource Services Library, 2017.
The Dew Breaker is a novel that consists of many short stories that follow different families that are all in some way connected to the dew breaker in the novel. These short stories describe the many experiences these families have faced both in the United States and Haiti. One family in particular that stands out is Ka and her family, her father being the Dew Breaker that connects the families to each. In the beginning of the novel Ka and her father are going to Florida to deliver a sculpture that Ka had made for Gabrielle. Gabrielle was meant to pay Ka for this sculpture. The sculpture did not end up making it to Gabrielle because Ka’s father threw it in a lake because he did not like that it was of him. He did not feel like he deserved such a meaningful piece of art made about him. Ka did not understand why, until her father decided to tell her about what he did in Haiti. When telling Ka why he felt this way he told her that he was a terrible man while in Haiti and had killed someone. This was not the full extent of what he had done. Towards the end of the novel, in the last chapter, we learn the full extent of what Ka’s father had done while in Haiti. He was a type of prison guard called a Dew Breaker. He was extremely cruel to those he was in charge of while working. He constantly tortured the inmates and slowly began to enjoy his work, but through all of this he was trying to save up the money to eventually get out of the situation he had put himself in. He ended up leaving for America sooner than he anticipated because an inmate that he was supposed to release, a preacher, attacked him in an attempt to flee and he then killed the preacher. He then left for America with the preacher’s step sister, who later became his wife. This novel shows hope because Ka’s father and mother managed to escape their past and create a new life for themselves in the United States and hopefully move away from her fathers past. Ka’s father also remained hopeful that he would one day be able to leave Haiti in order to separate himself from his line of work.
Equiano, Olaudah. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. 1789.
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African is an autobiography about Oldaluh Equiano and what he experienced as a slave. He and his sister were kidnapped when he was eleven. They were then separated and he was forced to work under many different masters. Eventually he was forced to endure a gruesome voyage on a slave ship. During this voyage he was forced to live in a very cramped and unclean environment while on the boat. The slaves were kept on the lower level of the ship and barely fed, causing many of them to get sick and unfortunately pass away. The slaves were also forced to work while on the ship and living in such poor conditions. These conditions also pushed many Africans to the point of trying to commit suicide by throwing themselves overboard which caused those who remained on the ship to be punished. After such a grueling journey Equiano was forced to bear witness to families being separated and sold to white men who only wanted them for work. Equiano himself was also sold and forced to work on a plantation in Virginia. After working on the plantation for a few months he was then sold to naval officer Michael Pascal after Pascal had visited Equiano’s master and liked Equiano. After Pascal brought Equiano he took him to England. While on the ship to England Equiano became close friends with a young white boy named Richard Baker. When they arrived in England Equiano stayed with Pascal’s sisters who treated him well and even taught him how to read and write. These women also taught him about the bible and had him baptized. Equiano went on more journey’s with Pascal and even participated in the French and Indian wars. After returning to England Equiano was hoping that he would finally gain his freedom, but instead Pascal forced him into another slavery situation under Captain James Doran after stealing everything from Equiano. Doran then sold Equiano to a quaker named Robert King. King valued his skills as a seaman. King allowed Equiano to be hired by a man named Thomas Farmer with whom he went on multiple voyages with. These voyages included trips to the West Indies, Georgia and St. Eustatia where they transported goods and slaves. During these voyages Equiano constantly suffered at the hands of white men who wouldn’t pay him and treat him poorly. Eventually Equiano managed to save enough money to buy his freedom from King. Equiano remained employed by King and other captains until he was able to obtain a certificate that stated he was well behaved and he made his way back to England. While in England he became a hairstylist, but eventually chose to work at sea again. He was then betrayed a few more times and almost forced back into slavery even though he was now a free man. At the end of the novel Equiano states that it would be better for both England and Africa if trade was opened between the two because England would gain more wealth and so would Africa. Financial situations would improve and if the slave trade was abolished these trade routes would remain steady and wealthy. This novel shows freedom because Equiano is constantly jumping through hoops in hopes that one day he would be granted his freedom. He eventually is able to buy his freedom, but still suffers due to white men trying to force him back into slavery. This novel shows exactly how hard Africans had to fight in order to possibly gain their freedom during the time of slavery. This novel also showcases how hope helped keep Equiano motivated because he kept fighting for a freedom that he may not have been granted, but he still worked towards it despite every obstacle he faced.
.“.” Novels for Students. . Encyclopedia.Com. 18 Sep. 2023 .” Encyclopedia.Com, Encyclopedia.com, 17 Oct. 2023, www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/dew-breaker#Themes.
This article discusses the entirety of the novel The Dew Breaker, including character analysis and themes. One of the main themes that this article discusses is the idea of redemption. The article states that the goal of Ka’s parents moving to the United States was a way of separating themselves from their past and to allow Ka’s father the time to redeem himself for everything that he did while still in Haiti while working as a Dew Breaker. He also still fears that someone who he negatively impacted will recognise him for who he used to be rather than who he has become while living in the United States. This relates to the theme of hope because without hope they would not have tried to start over in the United States seeking redemption. They would not have had their daughter, Ka, if they did not hold onto the hope that Ka’s father could be redeemed and changed.
LitCharts. “Freedom and Slavery Theme Analysis.” LitCharts, www.litcharts.com/lit/the-life-of-olaudah-equiano/themes/freedom-and-slavery.
This article discusses how the themes of slavery and freedom are throughout the entirety of The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. The article states that throughout the novel, while describing his life as a slave, Equiano shows how freedom is a very fragile concept, especially as an African American during the time of slavery. The article also discusses how Equiano loses his freedom multiple times before he is able to pay for his own freedom. This article relates to the theme of hope because if Equiano had not remained hopeful that he would one day gain his freedom he most likely would not have fought as hard to gain it. He worked hard to gain his freedom his entire life and without hope he may not have survived to see the day where he was finally free.
LitCharts. “Love, Hope, and Redemption Theme Analysis.” LitCharts, www.litcharts.com/lit/the-dew-breaker/themes/love-hope-and-redemption.
This article discusses the themes of redemption and hope throughout The Dew Breaker. This article discusses how after Ka was born they viewed Ka as evidence that Ka’s father had changed his ways after leaving Haiti. They even named her Ka because it means good angel and Ka’s father believes that Ka had saved him. This relates to the theme of hope because without the hope of redemption they had when leaving Haiti they would not have had Ka or the opportunity for Ka’s father to change into the man that she knows him to be. This article also talks more specifically about hope and sacrifice that is shown in parent-child relationships as shown in the short story in which Nadine’s parents sacrifice their home and way of life in order to allow Nadine to move to the United States to become a nurse. This move allowed the family to have hope for everything that their daughter could become and how successful that she could become. Nadine’s job as a nurse also allowed her to send money to her parents to ensure that they were taken care of. This relates to hope because Nadine was hopeful that she’d be able to help take care of her parents especially after everything they had given up for her.
Sprockets and Springes 