The Dew Breaker, a novel by Edwidge Danticat which chronicles the dictatorship inherited from Jean-Claude Duvalier in Haiti, seems to be a novel about two things. On the one hand, it documents the life and trials of one Tonton Macoute, a government-sanctioned torturer; on the other hand, it also tells of the cowardice of weak men with great power. The “dew breaker” who is the eponym of the book is constantly characterized by his cowardice, his desire for forgiveness but his inability to ask for it. This conflict that the “dew breaker” has within himself also tends to inspire conflict in the reader. Should we hate him or pity him? Is he unforgivable because of what he did or is his own fear, coupled with the circumstances, really to blame? After examining the characterization of the "dew breaker" and the situations he was placed in, we can deduce that although he does not deserve forgiveness, this man's obvious pusillanimity makes him pitiful. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The novel begins with the story of Ka, a young aspiring artist and the daughter of the “dew breaker.” The “dew breaker” is introduced as a simple Haitian barber, an escaped military prisoner with a devoted Catholic wife and loving daughter. The reader easily follows Ka and his father as they travel to Florida to sell one of Ka's sculptures. This sculpture is inspired by the bent and broken prisoner that Ka believed to be his father. In addition to recounting parts of his father's "past" in Haiti, Ka also talks about a jagged, gruesome scar that nearly ruined his father's face. She easily recounts the story he told her when she was a child: a guard working for Jean-Claude Duvalier's regime had sliced ​​her father's face in a random act of cruelty. It later becomes apparent that this story is indeed a lie told to Ka for over thirty years. Around the middle of the chapter, Ka's father finally opens up to the truth after destroying his daughter's sculpture, saying: "...Ka, your father was the hunter, he was not the prey...I don't "I've never been in prison" (21). In one moment, everything Danticat has told the reader about Ka's father seems false. This man, known in Haiti as Tonton Macoute, a famous “dew breaker”, finally tells his daughter the truth and thus destroys the innate trust that Ka has in him. The idea that he kept such a secret from her for so long is surely an example of his infinite cowardice. However, this also proves that he wants nothing more than love for the man he is, not hatred for the man he once was. Another point of interest in The Dew Breaker is the main character's request that he be allowed to wear civilian clothes. In the final chapter, "The Dew Breaker," the protagonist simply states that "he didn't like the uniform" (196). The idea that he feels above the other macoutes and has the right to demand is completely absurd and also cowardly. A Macoute walking home alone in standard denim runs the risk of being attacked and possibly killed; the refusal of the “dew breaker” to wear the uniform proves that he is a coward, a man who cannot bear the idea of ​​imminent physical danger. This fundamental denial of Macoute custom sets the main character apart from all others: he is not in imminent danger because he is allowed to dress normally, he can avoid unwanted attention, and his lack of uniform later saves him when he meets Anne outside the Barracks. . If he had worn his station jeans, I doubt Anne would have reacted as charitably. Moreover, “The DewBreaker” also presents the same conflict seen at the beginning of the book. It doesn't offer a real resolution like the last chapter but it leaves the reader with a feeling of modern-day catharsis. This chapter returns to the "dew breaker", an active and senior member of Duvalier's Macoutes while he was in Haiti. Danticat opens by describing the main characters in a gentle but insistent manner. He is an important and complacent man of the Tontons Macoutes who was sent to kill an outspoken preacher. The "dew breaker" expresses his disdain for this work at the beginning of the chapter, saying: "He wanted a perfect view of the church entrance in case the opportunity arose to do the work from inside his car…” (183). This obvious lack of courage produces a key moment in the novel: the Macoute is afraid to take his chances against the preacher's unbridled congregation. There is no doubt that if the “dew breaker” had been alone during the public assassination of the preacher, the entire situation would have resulted in his own death. To protect himself, the “dew breaker” chooses to take a group of other Macoutes with him. The preacher is taken away brutally but discreetly, giving the illusion that he has “disappeared” like all the others. The discreet and subtle manner in which the preacher was taken to the Barracks helps illustrate the main character's exaggerated concern for himself. He does not want to risk his life under any circumstances, even to fulfill a duty entrusted to him by the faction he loves so much. The concern mentioned above is also found a few pages later, after the preacher has been taken to Barracks for questioning. Although it is surprising that the preacher was not restrained during the interrogation, this small oversight on the part of the main character and Danticat serves a great purpose. In a final act of marvelous heroism, the preacher grabs a piece of splintered wood from his broken chair and stabs the "dewbreaker" "in [his] right cheek and [sinks] it about an inch" (226 ). Danticat goes on to injure the "dewbreaker" further, saying that "the fat man's shock worked in [the preacher's] favor, for it enabled him to drag the piece of wood across the fat man's face for a few seconds, tearing the skin. along his jaw” (226). The action itself earns the preacher the quick death he so desires: he is immediately shot in the chest by the "dew breaker", a man who cannot bear the idea of ​​bruised pride. This magnificent display of bravery on the part of the preacher forever damages the “dew breaker”; it also contributes greatly to a weakness of character that will be present for the rest of his life. With the pastor's blood on his hands, the "dew breaker" becomes completely terrified. With a huge gash on his face and dripping with blood, he staggers out of the Barracks, rejecting his superior's assurance of asylum. The fact that he did not stay to face the consequences of his actions once again shows his cowardice. He cannot bear the thought of punishment or reprimand, even from an institution to which he has devoted his life. Whenever he risks harm, the "dew breaker" quickly removes himself from the situation, either by blaming others or by running away. The constant theme of cowardice and fear in The Dew Breaker is important to the telling of the story. the plot as well as the characterizations it contains. The “dew breaker” as presented by Danticat is a man who aroused terror among the people; there, the mere mention of his name could cause a Haitian to have a fit of chills or an attack of unwanted memories. It is therefore ironic that he is ultimately the one who.