A Wall Of Fire Rising By Edwidge Danticat

Frustrating False Sense of Freedom
Edwidge Danticat, the author of “A Wall of Fire Rising,” was raised in Haiti and used experiences from her own childhood to recreate a short story which symbolizes her time spent in Haiti. Even though Haiti is an independent nation, Danticat has a constant theme of freedom in her short story, "A Wall of Fire Rising" which is represented through symbols in the unique and distinct culture.  The major instances of symbolism are found throughout the story with the main character, Guy, the hot air balloon, and the play “A Wall of Fire Rising.”
The first theme of symbolism is the main character, Guy, who represents the theme of freedom by being enslaved to his family. He claws at freedom by working odd jobs and

aiming for his son to have a better life. He is frustrated with his current situation and how he is unable, in his eyes, to successfully provide for his wife and son. Danticat states, “I was born in the shadow of that sugar mill, probably the first thing my mother gave me to drink as a baby was some sweet water tea from the pulp of the sugarcane. If anyone deserves to work there, I should” (241). Guy understands he is free but his family serves as a reminder that he will never escape the social class he is born into. He also is frustrated with how he is a parallel to his father which brings only brings him embarrassment. Danticat writes, “…I remember my father, who was a very poor struggling man all of his life. I remember him as a man that I would never want to be” (245). He represents how the desire to be successful and remembered is inside every human, no matter the socioeconomic background they come from. Guy desires to be successful to provide and prove to his family that he is an adequate father. This only makes him more indebt to his family’s emotions.
The next representation of freedom in “A Wall of Fire Rising” is the Assad’s wealthy son’s hot air balloon.

The Assad family owns the sugar mill which is the primary place of work for the small Haitian town. The hot air balloon represents a luxury lifestyle that should be available to everyone, but instead is simply available for elite members of society. This is frustrating to Guy because Haiti is now independent but he cannot even afford food much less to be able to explore the sky. He is also fascinated by the sky which represents endless opportunity as well as freedom from everyday life. Danticat explains Guy’s sense of wonder and desire to break his symbolic shackles, “Can’t you see yourself up there? Up in the clouds somewhere like some kind of bird” (242). He wants to escape his current circumstances and he sees the hot air balloon as his way out to a better life of opportunity. The chain fence around the hot air balloon is also symbolic to the village. They can see freedom but the concept of freedom is not quite in reach. Danticat also shows how proud the rest of the village is that Guy has escaped his shackles and is free, “From a field behind the sugar mill a group of workers were watching the balloon float up into the air. Many were clapping and cheering and calling out Guys name” (246). Guy had accomplished his goal and he is free, he wanted to die in the hot air balloon to accomplish his goal of becoming free and to be

remembered.
Lastly, a major symbol of freedom is found in the title “A Wall of Fire Rising.” This is the play, based on the Haitian Revolution, in which Little Guy recites lines from throughout the short story. Little Guy tirelessly practices his lines regarding freedom and his powerful words fill Lili and Guy with pride. Danticat writes, “…they had been given the rare pleasure of hearing the voice of one of the forefathers of the Haitian independence in the forced baritone of their only child” (236). Little guy constantly recites lines about independence to his father who could not be more trapped in his own life. Little Guy represents the success Haiti hopes to achieve, but will be forever held back by Europeans. The speech in the play is written in a formal tone that seemed unnatural to the Haitian culture. Danticat explains, “It was obvious that this was a speech written by a European man, who gave to the slave revolutionary Boukman the kind of European phrasing that might have sent the real Boukman turning in his grave” (236). This shows that even the history of freedom has been altered suppress the Haitians. This is aggravating to Guy because he feels as if he will never be able to be free.
Danticat’s “A Wall of Fire Rising” has elements of symbolism which support the underlying theme of freedom in the short story. Guy, the hot air balloon, and the play which Little guy memorizes, all serve as vessels to the main idea of everyone being enslaved to Haiti and the culture. All of the symbols come together to support the notion that Guy has every right to be frustrated with his false sense of freedom.