Breath, Eyes, Memory: Education vs. Work

During my reading of the first half of Danticat's novel, I found the reoccurring theme of education versus work to be very prominent, especially in terms of young women moving up in society. Both Atie and Martine continue to remind Sophie of how precious and important it is for her to be educated, no matter what. Because both sisters had dreams of being highly educated but were derailed by "finding out they had limits" (43), they want to see their Sophie accomplishes what they couldn't. Atie and Martine both had to work long hours to get even the simplest things they wanted in life, but for Sophie things could be different.
Despite their good intentions, I think that the pressure put on Sophie to learn English, go to school, and then attend college has ended up stifling her a great deal. It isn't until she meets someone, a man no less, who opted to leave his educational pursuits to follow his passions, that she realizes there may be more out there than working your fingers to the bone in the fields or your brain to death in the classroom. While her aunt and mother want the best for her, their constant pressure and sheltering of Sophie has prevented her from ever exploring her own interests, wishes, or desires. As seen when Joseph asked her what she wanted to do with her life (72), Sophie expresses that "that was the problem. Sophie really wasn't sure [what she wanted to do]. I had never really dared to dream on my own." Perhaps if Sophie had gotten to make her own choices about her life things would have been different. Maybe not every girl has to force an education to become successful.