The wall of rising fire is a story that revolves around the three main characters, including Lili, Guy, her husband, and their seven-year-old son. The family lives in a small single-roomed structure in a shantytown in Haiti, which depicts the poverty level that life has subjected them to. Guy has a dream that one day he will accomplish his goal of getting a better life for himself and the family, but is aware of the fact that there are numerous hurdles he must overcome in the process (Danticat, 1996). Their son gets a lead role in a school play playing the role of a revolutionary historical Haitian man named Dutty Boukman (Danticat, 1996). The story uses symbols, the setting, and figurative language to show how the environment shaped the characters.
For instance, the air balloon and the moon are symbolic objects that the author used to show how Guy’s dream of rescuing his family from poverty elapsed way before it could materialize. When Guy got the opportunity to fly the air balloon without permission from his boss, it causes his untimely death, which eventually took away all the dreams he had, making it impossible to reach the moon, which represents a dream that is quite far to reach (Danticat, 1996). Additionally, the story’s setting is at that Haiti, which is a small island that indicates the limitations that the characters have. As an island, water surrounds all Haiti’s borders, meaning the country has no opportunity for expansion. These limitations are evident in the characters’ lives as poverty has encompassed them in every essence of their lives, making it hard to break free. Finally, the author has used figurative speech when Guy tells his wife that he would use the balloon to find a place to start over (Danticat, 1996). In this statement, Guy is predicting his death unknowingly since only through death would he get a chance to start over again in the life after death. Unfortunately, he loses his life leaving behind his wife and child in the same state of poverty.
References
Danticat, E. (1996). A Wall of Fire Rising.”. Krik? Krak, 51-80.
