Chapter 6 - Kouzinn Summary and Analysis

This chapter we learn more about Kouzinn, the spirit who is the female counterpart to Azaka. Kouzinn is a market woman, a trade that is key to the survival for the poor women of Haiti. The capital earned by a market woman gives her leverage over an otherwise male-dominated culture. The emphasis in this chapter is on the economics of women's lives. It is up to the women of the Haitian culture to weave an "economic safety net" for themselves and their children and every day, every situation - down to a simple visit to a friend's house - holds the possibility of trade, commerce and income. In Haiti, before she moved to America, Alourdes, like most other Haitian women, did whatever it took to feed herself and her family, including bartering with sex. Often this way...