The tone of Edwidge Danticat's short story "Night Women" is somber and introspective. The narrator, a prostitute, observers her young son as he sleeps or pretends to sleep. The mood in the setting of the story—a small interior space—is lonely. Although the mother and son are spending intimate time together, at least for a short while, the mother misses her son's father, who was a former lover of hers and possibly a client. Although she sees countless men every night, her character seems to have a consistent mood of longing. She possibly wants to find true love or longs for a new life for her and her son. The tone of the story is also reminiscent of old folklore, as she tells her son various mythologies. As with other mythologies, the story of the prostitute mother and son has the mood of a tragedy. While she hopes for a brighter future for her son, she knows that her lifestyle will continue to be cyclical. When she says, "Darling, the angels have themselves a lifetime to come to us," she is talking about both men and actual angels. This makes it clear that she believes she will always be a "night woman" but is optimistic that a miracle will lift them from their circumstances.
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