Character Analysis Of Annie Johnson In Maya Angelou's New Directions

Growing up as an African American in 1903 would be difficult, but Annie Johnson seems to keep her balance and her morals. In the story “New Directions” by Maya Angelou, Annie Johnson is a single mother with two kids, who starts a new life for herself after she and her husband split amicably. Annie Johnson is a very hardworking, dedicated, and sacrificial woman. Annie Johnson shows these traits and this shows that she is a person who values morals. Annie Johnson is a very hardworking woman. Angelou writes, “For the next few years, on balmy spring days, blistering summer noons, and cold, wet, and wintry middays, Annie never disappointed her customers, who could count on seeing the tall, brown-skin woman bent over her brazier, carefully turning the meat pies”(125). Annie Johnson went out and sold those meat pies no matter what. She did not care if it was raining or if it was hot she was …show more content…
Annie Johnson is an extremely dedicated person. She is dedicated to her work and her family, even with all she has been through. “In 1903 the late Mrs. Annie Johnson of Arkansas found herself with two toddling sons, very little money, a slight ability to read and add simple numbers”(Angelou 124). Annie Johnson is left with two boys and very little money after her husband leaves her, yet she still fights on. Rather than giving up and just taking the easy route, she starts a new path for herself and she starts her own business. Dedication is a very good quality and Annie Johnson has this quality. Therefore Annie Johnson values morals based on this trait. Morals are a very important belief in life. Annie Johnson is someone who values morals. She is dedicated, hardworking, and sacrificial. She was raising two kids on her own in 1903, as an African American. She didn’t give up, she started a new path for herself and she created her own business. Morals should be valued, and Annie Johnson was definitely a person who valued