Danticat ends her work with Sophie's reflection on her relationship with the land of her mothers. She reflects on the complexity of her home culture: the magic of its stories and mythology, the closeness of family bonds, the pain and suffering of its people. As she confronts her mother's pain and takes out her anger on the sugar cane, Sophie understands—with the help of Grandmè Ifé—that she has taken the sting out of the painful past.