A Comparison Of Superstitions In 'Krik? Krak !'?

“When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are, anything your heart desires will come to you” (Washington and Harline, When You Wish Upon a Star). A melody close to the hearts of many, full of childhood nostalgia. This song led to many children wishing upon the night sky. The superstition that stars grant wishes gives countless people hope that their dreams will come true. The novel Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat, similarly suggests that people in desperate situations find hope through their superstitions.

Mothers find hope in their beliefs not only for themselves, but also for their children. Danticat’s story “Night Women” shows a mother clinging onto the hope that her faith gives her for herself and her son. The chapter tells the story of a woman who becomes a prostitute to support her child and herself. She believes that there are ghost women in her village who spend the night undoing the work they’ve done that day so that they have something to do in the morning. She reveals that “There are nights that I believe that those ghost women are with me” (Danticat, 73). She uses her belief in the ghosts to make herself feel less lonely. She uses her beliefs to make her happier and to help her feel that she isn’t alone. When her son wakes up the next morning he asks if he’s missed the angels whom he thinks visit them during the night. She tells him “‘Darling, the angels have themselves a lifetime to come to us”’ (75). She still thinks that life will get better.