Commentary on "Annie John" a Novel by Jamaica Kincaid

What makes a young girl who loves, adores and idolizes her mother the first ten years of her life, despise her the next?

This question came to mind while reading Jamaica Kincaid's, "Annie John," a novel about a young girl coming of age in the West Indies. Interestingly enough the antagonist's life bares an uncanny resemblance to that of the author's who like Annie John grew up in St. John, Antiqua. In her works, Kincaid explores with raw honesty the complicated nature of the relationship between mother and daughter.

Annie John is an only child who during her early years enjoyed the full loving attention of her mother, also named Annie, who never missed an opportunity to shower her with endless affection. She completely worshiped her the way most little girls do their mothers. Then one day, Annie arrived home early from school only to witness her parents making love. She didn't quite know what to make of it, but felt a bit put off. "I was sure I could never let those hands touch me again; I was sure I could never let her kiss me again. All that was finished," she thought. This may of been the first significant sign of betrayal that she felt by her mother.

It wasn't until upon hearing that she was "too old" for her favorite past time of spending the whole day going through her trunk, which her mother kept safe the memories of Annie John's special moments, that the young girl experienced deep feelings of hurt.

Annie John was twelve when her mother, informed her that she was becoming a young lady, and would now have to participate in activities appropriate for her age. From then on, it was war. The mere thought of things changing simply because she was growing older disappointed Annie John. She viewed her mother's new point of view as rejection and turned to mischievous ways as vengeance.

I suppose she felt much like I did when my mother told me that I was too old to play with dolls. I was eleven or twelve, and requested a doll on my Christmas list. My mother wasted no time in informing me that toys were no longer an option, and that I would only be receiving clothes ... "CLOTHES?!?" I remember thinking, "Is that it?" I struggled with a sense of "twoness." On the one hand I hated the thought of having to take on a new role as a "young lady," because it required me to give up so many of the things that I loved to do as a little girl. On the other hand, I longed to be an adult so that I could do things on my on terms and not be told what to do or how to act all of the time.

Annie John's childhood bond with her mother turned into a love-hate relationship that changed them forever. It's a great story. Every woman, especially if you're a mother should read it.


Works by Jamaica Kincaid:
* "Girl," poem (June 26, 1978, appeared in The New Yorker then again in 1984 in At the Bottom of the River)
* At the Bottom of the River (1984)
* Annie John (1985)
* A Small Place (1988)
* Annie, Gwen, Lilly, Pam, and Tulip (1989)
* Lucy (1990)
* Biography of a Dress (1990)
* "On Seeing England for the First Time," essay (1991, appeared in Harper's Magazine)
* The Autobiography of My Mother (1995)
* My Brother (1997)
* My Favorite Plant: Writers and Gardeners on the Plants they Love (editor; 1998)
* My Garden (1999)
* Talk Stories (2001)
* My Garden (2001)
* Mr. Potter (2002)
* Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalayas (2005)
* Figures in the Distance
* Life and Debt Film (2001)