The Dew Breaker

Every book we have read this year has had a unique form – some more unique than others – and The Dew Breaker is no different. While reading these stories, I felt the presences of fiction much more than in the other books this semester, but I do not see this style as a fault. The form each author chooses for his or her stories is important to the message they intend on conveying. In Danticat’s case, the blanketed theme of cause and effect calls for a slightly more “fabricated” form.

Throughout the book, we follow the story of man that performed horrendous acts of murder in dictator-ruled Haiti as well as the people affected by those acts. All of these people, in one way or another, are related through the Dew Breaker and his actions, but the omniscient view of all these characters brings on a stronger fiction aspect to the reading than other books. For instance, The House on Mango Street showed a many experiences though the eyes of one child in an urban setting, making the story quite believable and true to the reader. On the other hand, The Dew Breaker gives a broader view from different angles on a more singular experience and its effects.

By showing the story of the Dew Breaker as well as the affected people, Danticat touches on the idea of cause and effect. Seeing the lives of people related to the Dew Breaker’s murders allows the reader to understand the ripple effect of actions in the sea of experience. With some characters – those who end up living beneath the Dew Breaker, as well as the killer’s daughter – we see that sometimes the ripples of our actions reflect back to us, thus effects can impact the causer.