Hope and Liberation in Danticat's "A Wall of Fire Rising"

Introduction: Fire, Freedom, and the Haitian Spirit

"A Wall of Fire Rising" is a tragic short story by Haitian author Edwidge Danticat. The title comes from a line in a play about Dutty Boukman, a slave rebel turned revolutionary hero in Haiti. Boukman's story symbolizes release from bondage and oppression, and the ongoing struggle of the Haitian people is evident in the complicated daily lives of ordinary families like that of Guy, Lili, and their son. Although the story ends tragically, "A Wall of Fire Rising" contains a kernel of hope: that dreaming of a better future, and committing to the hard work required to attain that goal, will eventually bring about liberation.

The line in the play reads, "a wall of fire is rising and in the ashes, I see the bones of my people" (Danticat 234). Little Guy recites these lines because they perfectly parallel the suicide of his father, who jumped from a rising hot air balloon — a kind of "wall of fire." The boy perceives his father's "bones" and recognizes that his father's martyrdom is akin to that of Boukman, the hero of the play he will perform at school. In "A Wall of Fire Rising," Danticat introduces readers to the complexities of Haitian culture and consciousness, including issues related to gender, power, and politics. Themes of hope and freedom prevail throughout the story, which illustrates that death is far less important than liberation from oppression.

Family, Resilience, and the Will to Dream

The family at the center of the story is a tightly knit one, comprised of a loving father and mother who both want their only son to surpass his social status and somehow rise above the oppression that plagues their people. Considering their living conditions and the perpetuation of poverty on the island, it is somewhat miraculous that Lili and Guy can instill in their son the value of dreaming of a better life. Little Guy idolizes his father, evident in the way the boy "dropped his composition notebook as he leaped to his father, nearly stepping into the corn mush and herring that his mother had set out in a trio of half gourds on the clay floor" (Danticat 232). Even the father recognizes that aspiring to greatness is more important than the mundane fulfillment of bodily hunger, as he allows his son to distract him from dinner so the boy can memorize his lines for the play.

The affectionate relationship among all family members provides the underlying hopeful message that permeates what would otherwise be a dark tale of disillusionment and despair. By continually reminding readers of the potency of parental love, Danticat offers insight into the resiliency of the Haitian spirit. Similarly, Danticat periodically illustrates that resilient and resourceful spirit by detailing the makeshift furniture in the family's hovel and the means by which their fellow shantytown dwellers make the most of what little they have.

Boukman, Revolution, and the Politics of Identity

It is ironic that the Boukman play was written by a European man, who "gave to the slave revolutionary ... the kind of European phrasing that might have sent the real Boukman turning in his grave" (Danticat 234). Yet the playwright's ethnicity matters less than the message of the play. Similarly, the owners of the sugar mill are Arabs who possess wealth and political clout, but who are not demonized in the story. Boukman and his legacy represent a broader commitment to social justice that transcends ethnic lines. Danticat reveals the community's commitment to peace as they struggle to find ways of achieving that justice.

Unfortunately, the father knows he is unlikely to witness any meaningful political or economic transformation in his lifetime. He remembers his own father, who worked in the sugar mill, "as a man that I would never want to be" (Danticat 242). One of the reasons Guy kills himself is because he wants his son to remember him as someone who pursued his dreams at whatever cost. The father's choice both reflects his sense of masculine pride and resonates with the revolutionary spirit of Boukman. A line in the Boukman play states the imperative to "call on everyone ... that we may either live freely or we should die" (Danticat 240). Given that the entire village — and not just Lili and their son — witnessed the balloon ride, Guy lived up to Boukman's revolutionary example in the best and only way he could.

Conclusion: A Story of Hope Disguised as Tragedy

While "A Wall of Fire Rising" seems initially to be a tale of pure tragedy — a father committing suicide in front of his wife, only child, and entire village — the story ultimately offers a message of hope. Guy shows that it is important to keep one's dreams alive, to symbolically light them on fire and soar. The son embodies the hope of the next generation of children in Haiti and in countries facing similar problems related to political corruption and the unequal distribution of wealth.

Using the play about Boukman as a pivotal motif, Danticat shows that each and every person has the power to become a revolutionary hero, or to at least keep one's hopes alive and one's eyes on the sky. The story ultimately affirms that the spirit of liberation — rooted in Haitian history and nurtured in the love between parent and child — cannot be extinguished.

Work Cited

Danticat, Edwidge. "A Wall of Fire Rising."