The American Dream
The America Dream plays an important role in this autobiographical piece, because it is what prompted the separation of a loving Haitian family. Readers presume that Danitcat's parents did not want to leave their two children in the poor country of Haiti, but they did anyway with the power of a work permit. As is common with the American Dream, the couple goes to a large city to find work, and, hopefully, money that will buy them a more "successful" life.
Immigration
Immigration is often a hefty topic of debate, but when you look at it from another person's shoes, it isn't really that bad. American could be historically noted as a nation of mutts, because everyone came from a different place. America is, after all, made of immigrants. Poor people, like Danticat's parents, simply want to raise their standard of living, and are willng to work extremely hard to do it. That is, indeed, what they did, and they were able to bring their children to the United States after they had saved up enough money for them.
Poverty in Haiti
In Haiti, Danticat's mother and father worked as a seamstress and a taxi driver, respectively. These things did not earn them enough money to always guarantee food on the shelves for them and their children, so they wanted to do something about it. Danticat's story is not a unique one - there are millions of families worldwide that are suffering from poverty, and hundreds of thousands in Haiti.
The economical epidemic in the country is so bad, that there is often no food in grocery stores, which pretty much force people to leave the country. This is exactly what Danticat's family did, because they were willing to give up their home and way of life in Haiti.
