Symbolism Of Anette In Land Of Love And Drowning

Anette is free from the materialistic pursuits that her sister imposes on her and the criticisms of her society, allowing her to fluidly weave in and out of relationships as a means of exercising her love. In Land of Love and Drowning, Anette explains, “See, me? I had never want what my sister want. Eeona want to have things. I had want to be had. I had want to be claimed. I ain shame, put it on my gravestone: Anette get loved up good. And that is what my life has been about. Only not as I thought it would be" (Yanique 102). She directly addresses the materialistic pursuits of Eeona, something that had been imposed on her every time Eeona wished to marry her off to a man of a higher social status. Anette goes against the rules imposed by Eeona …show more content…
Nevertheless, it is an exercise of Anette’s free will, as she is not afraid to risk social criticism in her pursuit of finding the man who will truly claim her. In the same passage she also states “I ain shame, put it on my gravestone”, making this claim, about Anette being free from society’s expectations of her, explicit and leaving no room for misinterpretation. Now, Anette’s freedom becomes complicated when her relationship to Jacob is analyzed, yet it is her choice to continue pursuing Jacob’s love that proves that she is truly free enough to love. Many would argue that Jacob and his desire to have complete ownership over Anette would be a restriction on Anette’s freedom. Jacob’s desire to own Anette is clear throughout the novel, but the clearest example comes right before he leaves to study in America, “Jacob leaned forward and kissed his Anette - in public - owned her - in public - was her man - in public” (231). Here, Jacob intends to leave his mark as he leaves, to …show more content…
Of course, a person’s freedom, and their ability to love, can change and evolve just as the person does, and in the story this is accurately portrayed as Eeona proves to be the most dynamic character, ending the story a completely new character. It is also interesting to consider the careful wording that Jean “Binta” Breeze uses with the claim, citing specifically that only love at first sight is off limits to the unfree. Anette falls in love at first sight with Jacob as she has always been a free woman. Eeona falls in love at first sight of Anegada’s magic only after she is freed. Love at first sight is the most innocent of all loves, for it is a natural attraction that needs no context of the person in question. That privilege is only reserved for those that are free and able to act on it, for the unfree cannot dive into a situation without considering the complications it may further invoke on the person and their already restricted