Fiona Cai
Ms. Dunitz
Freshman Composition 2
11/16/15
My Name is Annie John
Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid tells the story of an evolving teenage girl as she comes to terms with her changing feelings about herself and her mother. Throughout the novel, the main character, Annie John observes the world around her in a subjective perspective as she yearns for freedom and self-awareness. Annie’s prominent sense of claustrophobia in growing up leaves her feeling utterly stifled by her parents, her peers, and her town. Her fear of loneliness and abandonment encourages her to reach out to others and form certain relationships, despite her mother’s disapproval. Annie often questions her emotional authenticity towards her and her mother’s relationship. …show more content…
Annie is still a growing girl and struggles in distinguishing herself from her mother and becoming her own person. She often compares herself to her mother to feel a sense of equality or power: “I was, in fact, as tall as my mother… we looked at each other eye to eye. Eye to eye” (104). In addition to this, Annie and her mother have similar styles: “I immediately said...how nice I thought it would look on us both, but my mother replied, ‘Oh no… You cannot just go around the rest of your life looking like a little me’” (26). Annie grows to believe that she and her mother were supposed to be alike which causes her to think that their relationship is more than a typical mother-daughter bond. Annie refers to her mother more as a friend or equal rather than a higher authority figure. Furthermore, she refuses to accept that she and her mother are separate people. Annie’s mother’s sudden change of tone may hint that she is realizing her daughter needs to grow up and identify herself as her own …show more content…
Annie has a feisty spirit that allows her to become volatile in her actions and her feelings. Her attitude and insecurity towards the world and who she is causes her to strike back and retaliate towards her mother. Being a stubborn and unrelenting person, Annie states, “She went on to say that, after all the years she had spent drumming into me the proper way to conduct myself… it had pained her to see me behave in the manner of a slut...I turned to her and said, “Well, like father like son, like mother like daughter’”(102). This quotes resembles Annie’s bitterness and how she is only a child packed up with so much emotion that she decides to just explode and let it all out, regardless how her words and actions affect others. Annie is an unique teenager and the instability in her and her mother’s relationship causes surges of rage and affection at the same time: “At that moment, I missed my mother more than I had ever imagined possible… but also at that moment I wanted only to see her lying dead, all withered and in a coffin at my feet”(106). Annie’s conflicted feelings for her mother leaves her confused and she begins to distance herself from those around
Ms. Dunitz
Freshman Composition 2
11/16/15
My Name is Annie John
Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid tells the story of an evolving teenage girl as she comes to terms with her changing feelings about herself and her mother. Throughout the novel, the main character, Annie John observes the world around her in a subjective perspective as she yearns for freedom and self-awareness. Annie’s prominent sense of claustrophobia in growing up leaves her feeling utterly stifled by her parents, her peers, and her town. Her fear of loneliness and abandonment encourages her to reach out to others and form certain relationships, despite her mother’s disapproval. Annie often questions her emotional authenticity towards her and her mother’s relationship. …show more content…
Annie is still a growing girl and struggles in distinguishing herself from her mother and becoming her own person. She often compares herself to her mother to feel a sense of equality or power: “I was, in fact, as tall as my mother… we looked at each other eye to eye. Eye to eye” (104). In addition to this, Annie and her mother have similar styles: “I immediately said...how nice I thought it would look on us both, but my mother replied, ‘Oh no… You cannot just go around the rest of your life looking like a little me’” (26). Annie grows to believe that she and her mother were supposed to be alike which causes her to think that their relationship is more than a typical mother-daughter bond. Annie refers to her mother more as a friend or equal rather than a higher authority figure. Furthermore, she refuses to accept that she and her mother are separate people. Annie’s mother’s sudden change of tone may hint that she is realizing her daughter needs to grow up and identify herself as her own …show more content…
Annie has a feisty spirit that allows her to become volatile in her actions and her feelings. Her attitude and insecurity towards the world and who she is causes her to strike back and retaliate towards her mother. Being a stubborn and unrelenting person, Annie states, “She went on to say that, after all the years she had spent drumming into me the proper way to conduct myself… it had pained her to see me behave in the manner of a slut...I turned to her and said, “Well, like father like son, like mother like daughter’”(102). This quotes resembles Annie’s bitterness and how she is only a child packed up with so much emotion that she decides to just explode and let it all out, regardless how her words and actions affect others. Annie is an unique teenager and the instability in her and her mother’s relationship causes surges of rage and affection at the same time: “At that moment, I missed my mother more than I had ever imagined possible… but also at that moment I wanted only to see her lying dead, all withered and in a coffin at my feet”(106). Annie’s conflicted feelings for her mother leaves her confused and she begins to distance herself from those around