Annie John

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Notable Mention: Daughters of the Stone

Daughters of the Stone, written by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa, contains similar elements in relation to Annie John. Both works focus on growth and development through identity and knowledge. Additionally, they explore the impacts of colonialism on the respective main characters in each book.

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Annie vs. Colonialism

“What just deserts, I thought, for I did not like Columbus. How I loved this picture–to see the usually triumphant Columbus, brought so low, seated at the bottom of a boat just watching things go by” (Kincaid 77).

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Identity

“I removed from my bag a red cotton handkerchief that she had earlier given me for this purpose and I waved it wildly in the air...she waved back at me just as wildly, and we continued to do this until she became just a dot in the matchbox-size launch swallowed up in the big blue sea...I could hear small waves lap-lapping around the ship. They made an unexpected sound, as if a vessel filled with liquid had been placed on its side and now was slowly emptying out” (Kincaid 147).

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Identity Quote

“I removed from my bag a red cotton handkerchief that she had earlier given me for this purpose and I waved it wildly in the air...she waved back at me just as wildly, and we continued to do this until she became just a dot in the matchbox-size launch swallowed up in the big blue sea...I could hear small waves lap-lapping around the ship. They made an unexpected sound, as if a vessel filled with liquid had been placed on its side and now was slowly emptying out” (Kincaid 147). 

This represents the final stage to Annie’s journey towards becoming an independent, self-sustaining identity now that she has grown up since the beginning of the book. Annie is on the ship waving goodbye to her mother and father as they become ever-distant figures on land. This represents a new life, a new birth, a new beginning for Annie as she prepares to attend nursing school in England. The odd sound resulting from the waves hitting the sides of the boat represents this new birth for Annie, as if she has come out of the womb once again but with a complete and distinct identity this time.

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Identity Quote

“the real truth was that I couldn’t bear to have anyone see how deep in disfavor I was with my mother” (Kincaid 45).

To put context to this quote, Annie was having nightmares associated with her mother being on a rock by the seashore tracing patterns on it. Her mother never comes to Annie in this dream and keeps doing her own thing with only her father occasionally comforting Annie’s mother. This nightmare is subtle but quite scary to Annie because she cannot see herself being a separate person from her mother. From Annie’s youthful point of view, she should and will have an inseparable union with her mother which does not exactly correlate with the reality of growing up and establishing a new identity. When her mother dismisses the seriousness of the nightmares for Annie and simply suggests that she not eat “certain kinds of fruit in an unripe state just before going to bed”, Annie begins to show distaste towards her mother--thinking that her mother doesn’t care about her (Kincaid 45).

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Identity Quote

“It’s time you had your own clothes. You just cannot go around the rest of your life looking like a little me. To say that I felt the earth swept away from under me would not be going too far” (Kincaid 25-26). 

Annie’s mother rejects the idea of Annie continuing to wear her own clothes and wants Annie to grow up, mature, and have her own clothes. This simple declaration form Annie’s mother ultimately splits Annie inside as she wants to be close to her mother but must accept that she is to have an identity separate from her mother as she gets older. This starts the cycle of identity issues with Annie in Annie John.

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Annie vs. Colonialism

“What just deserts, I thought, for I did not like Columbus. How I loved this picture--to see the usually triumphant Columbus, brought so low, seated at the bottom of a boat just watching things go by” (Kincaid 77).

Annie despises her colonial education in Antigua, which disregards the brutality of the island’s history associated with European intervention. Annie finds the irony and humor of Columbus being in chains since he was a driving force of colonialism in the late 15th century; a justifiable punishment for such a person.

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Mother-Daughter Dynamic Quote

“She was using that tone of voice: it was as if I were not only a stranger but a stranger that she did not wish to know...she observed me making a spectacle of myself in front of four boys..it had pained her to see me behave in the manner of a slut...in the street and that just to see me had caused her to feel shame” (Kincaid 100-101).

As Annie grows up and becomes more social with boys and other people, the differences between her and her mother become more and more apparent with time. Annie was simply flirting with Mineu and his friends but her mother did not see it that way and this symbolizes the inflection point in which their relationship falls apart.

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Mother-Daughter Dynamic Quote

“My mother and I often took a bath together...it was a special bath in which the barks and flowers of many different trees, together with all sorts of oils, were boiled in the same large caldron” (Kincaid 14). 

This represents, from Annie’s earlier years, a close relationship with her mother. This union is made possible due to Annie’s youthful mindset, which does not foresee that her identity/behavior will change when she hits puberty and thus change the dynamic with her mother.

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Identity

Throughout the book, Annie is confronted with elements of colonialism and puberty that cause her to undergo changes in how she views herself and her rejection of authority. 

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Mother-Daughter Dynamic

One of the biggest themes in Annie John is the relationship between mother and daughter over the course of the story. In the early parts of the book, Annie adores her mother and they are very close. However, later on, as Annie begins to find more and more about herself, their distance relationally begins to grow more and more. 

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Plot Summary

Annie is a girl who lives on the island of Antigua in the Caribbean. Annie has a very close relationship to her mother and strives to keep it that way but struggles with the fact that she will have to eventually grow up and leave the past behind, distancing herself from her mother. Annie slowly becomes more distasteful in her mother, as well as the established social order, and meets Gwen and the “Red” Girl along way. Annie then starts a new life, a new identity, over in England where she will be attending nursing school.

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Gwen & The Red Girl

Gwen & the Red Girl become quite significant characters in Annie’s story as she strives to find her true self. Gwen becomes a close pal of Annie and they become good friends until Annie moves up through the school system due to her stellar marks. The Red Girl is another character who comes up in Annie’s story and is someone who Annie likes very much since she is not confined to doing chores and errands like Annie is. The Red Girl, from the point of view of Annie, represents a kind of freedom she desperately wants. 

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Annie’s Father

Annie’s father is a quiet man whom is considered to be the head of the household in this story. Annie’s father has had many wives prior to meeting Annie’s mother, as well as children. Annie’s father’s ability to have this free will with so may women prior to meeting Annie’s mother expresses the underlying patriarchy in Antiguan society.

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Annie’s Mother

Annie’s mother is a strong and tough woman who cares for Annie deeply throughout the book. Annie’s mother plays a crucial role in the separation between mother and daughter as time goes by. Pa Chess and Ma Chess are Annie’s Mother’s father and mother, respectively.

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Annie John

The first character of importance in the book Annie John is Annie John herself. Annie John is an intelligent and witty young girl who struggles with having a distinct identity. Annie later overcomes this and makes an identity for herself as she grows up. 

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Annie John- Jamaica Kincaid

This Tumblr page is for the book Annie John, by Jamaica Kincaid. This page will be discussing many elements such as the characters, plot, and themes associated with this work.