The Dew Breaker By Edwidge Danticat

In The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat, Bienaimé was a Tonton Macoute during the regime of the Haitian dictator, President Francois Duvalier, also known as “Papa Doc.” Tonton Macoutes are also known as dew breakers and their job is to arrest Haitians who rebel against the government. The dew breakers arrive early in the morning before the sunrise to capture the traitors and torture them. When Bienaimé failed to complete his orders properly from the president, he plans to escape Haiti to avoid his punishment. During his escape, he has to mask his identity of being a dew breaker to blend in with the public to hide his secret. After the dictatorship of Papa Doc ended, many tonton macoutes were being hunted down by the Haitian community for their

While his daughter, Ka was growing up, he would spend time with her by taking her to the Museum of Natural History and telling stories about the Egyptians. Bienaimé would also explain the definition and the reason why he calls her Ka. According to Bellamy, “By naming his daughter Ka and calling her his ʻgood angel,ʼ Bienaimé attempts to create a good twin of himself, one who will receive and reflect his goodness” (Bellamy 183). Ka is Bienaimé’s “good angel” because she rescued him from his traumatic past. She allows Bienaimé to be able to express care and love towards others rather than someone who shows no mercy and is not afraid to express his cruel powers. Although Ka did not know her father’s true past while growing up, she is able to bring out his good side. Since Bienaimé is able to prove not only can he be a good husband, but also a good father, he has shown he is no longer a harsh and cruel person he once was in the

A Haitian American celebrity wanted to purchase her art piece however Bienaimé disapproves Ka selling the statue. Ka said, “when I woke up, my father was gone and so was the sculpture” (Danticat 7). Bienaimé took the sculpture with him early in the morning because he did not like a misrepresented art piece of himself to be sold. His past habit of being a Tonton Macoute allows him to be able to “kidnap” the statue like he used to kidnap Haitian traitors against the government before the morning dew appears without a trace of where he went (Bellamy 185). When evening came, Bienaimé returns and drives Ka to a lake where he disposed the sculpture during the morning. She was angry at her father for destroying her art work without her permission but it was at this moment when Bienaimé decided to share the truth about his past with her. He no longer wanted to lie to Ka about being a prisoner in Haiti during the past because he was actually the criminal. Bienaimé did not want to introduce the truth with her when she was younger because he did not want his daughter to fear him like his wife once did. By being a good father to Ka when she is young then sharing his horrific past to her when she is more mature allows her to gain a better understanding of why he took certain actions. This also provides a reason why Bienaimé does not need to be punished for his crimes because instead of traumatizing