JeKiya Wilson

Wilkerson 2nd period

Annie John

A Rebellious Soul

Annie John is a fictional novel written in 1985 that describes the story of a young girls life as
once a mommas girl, and slowly transforms into a more rebellious individual as she reaches
multiple stages of puberty. This essay was written in a Biographical format, meaning to deal
with a particular persons life. Throughout the essay the author; Jamaica Kincaid is constantly
being compared to the main character, Annie John. Jamaica Kincaid, born as Elaine Potter
Richardson was born in St.John, Antigua, a Caribbean island in 1949. Kincaid places the setting
of this book in her home place of Antigua.
Kincaid got the idea of using John as the last name of the main character in this novel,
because it is the place in which she was conceived. Jamaica Kincaid changed her name when she
was sent off by her parents to become the breadwinner of her family. Reason of her name
change is due to the fact that she does not want the people of Antigua to know that she is a writer.
Much like the father of Annie John in the book she never sees her parents again after being
shipped off. She decided to never retreat back to Antigua to see her family.
Jamaica Kincaid was born into poverty with her home-making mother and her step father
who worked as a carpenter. Annie Johns mother is more homebound like Kincaids mother. In
the book Annie reaches age 12 as she begins to reach puberty. Annies mother tries to push her
into young adulthood, but she was so used to being under her mothers wing that it took her out

of her element when her mother tries to teach her to grow up into the young lady she was
becoming. The actions of Annies mother makes her feel neglected, betrayed, and pushed away.
Annie begins to slowly grow a hatred for her mother, because of the way she acts and treats her
as she matures.
She states, To say that I felt the Earth swept away from under me would not be going too
far. This was just the beginning of the void Annie was going to feel as she aged. Annie starts to
look at her mother as more of an enemy than the loving, care giving woman that she used to be.
Kincaids mother was also very much like Annies. She was once gentle, caressing, and the one
person she looked up to most, until she gave birth to Jamaica Kincaids three brothers.
As each child is born Kincaid feels more pushed away than ever. Her mother begins to treat
her so cruel as if shes a stranger she had never seen before. These actions of her mother causes
her to stray and not like her very much as she used to when she was once her mothers number
1 fan. Much like Annie, they share the same hate and coldness for their mothers. Kincaid and
Annie found it very hard to cope with the many different actions their mothers were beginning to
display. In their eyes it was the worst rejection that could possibly happen in their ever-changing
lives.
In Annie John, Annie experiences many different trials in her life growing up. She goes
through puberty, experiences lesbianism, betrayal, new friendships, and child like rebelliousness.
Annie soon realized that she had a liking towards other individuals of the same sex, once she
began attending an all girls school. Jamaica Kincaid also attended an all girls school by the
name of Princess Margarets All Girls School. Annie fell in love with a girl named Gweneth.
Gwen and Annie were best friends, but they knew, and so did everyone else know that they were

homosexual lovers. They frequently daydreamed of having lives together and owning a house of
their own, which Annie had pointed out and shown to Gwen.
Later in their relationship Annie begins to fall for a girl she gave a title of Red Girl.
Red Girl was far from the average girl. She was always muddy with the dirtiest fingernails and
she was barefoot. She didnt comb her hair and she also did not wash her uniform until she had
gotten a good wear out of it, but Red Girls was not concerned about the her childs hygiene.
Annie found this most fascinating about her newly formed crush. She loved the way how Red
Girl could climb trees like the boys and how she was so great at playing marbles. Annie was
forbidden from playing marbles her mother disapproved of it. Annie used to meet Red Girl at the
light house every afternoon, which she was also forbidden to go to. Annie states, My mother,
Nosy Parker, would kill meor, worse, not speak to me for at least a few hoursif she knew
that I met you in a secret place.
They would exchange gifts to one another. Annie would receive a marble from Red Girl and
every afternoon Annie would steal money from her mothers purse so she could go and buy Red
Girl a gift. She loved to buy things for her, although she felt as if Red Girl would have no use for
these presents. One day after leaving the light house Annie was placing her new item under her
house where she kept the rest of them and her mother caught her., her mother desperately
searched for the rest of the stowed away marbles, but she failed to find them. She tried to force
Annie to tell her where the rest were, but Annie refused to admit she had a collection.
After being caught, Annie vowed to never return to the lighthouse. She felt guilty for never
going to see Red Girl again without giving an explanation, but the ease faded quickly when she
learned that she had been send away to live with her grandparents. After Red Girl left Annie

began to menstruate and she no longer had the love for marbles she once had before. The
thoughts of Red Girl ran through Annies mind daily, although the small flame they had, had
burned out when she left. Annie says I took her to an island, where we lived together forever....
Almost immediately after Red Girl left, Annie retreated back to Gweneth as if she had never left.
As chapter seven began Annie once again begins to stray from Gwen. She no longer had a
liking towards her. Annie states but just the sight of her was no longer a thrill to me. She
began to describe how the sounds of Gwens voice even makes her want to explode. She
explains how when she was younger Gwens voice was some sort of music. Gwen became
annoying to Annie, yet she was confused on what to say to her to tell her she no longer loved her.
Later on in chapter seven, Annie is now 15. One day after school she came across an old
friend whom she used to play with, she went to speak to him and although he spoke back it was a
bitter reunion. After exchanging words with him she continued to walk home, and as soon as she
walked in her mother began to pick a fight, asking Annie her reason for tardiness. Annie decided
to fib and her mother said she was at the store and she seen Annie conversing with four boys
being a slut, which she called her in French. She repeatedly called her a slut and Annie said
to her mother, Well, like father like son, like mother like daughter. She described how after
saying such a thing to her mother everything around them grew still.
After thinking about what she had said to her mother, Annie had went to her room and
sat on the bed and she began to cry. She cried from the thoughts of hurting her mother, no matter
the hatred she had for her mother she continued to look at her as she did when she was a child, as
a beautiful creature. Annie states how she misses her mother but how she also wants to see her
dead. I missed my mother more than I had ever imagined possible and wanted only to live

somewhere quiet and beautiful with her alone, but also at that moment I wanted only to see her
lying dead, all withered and in a coffin at my feet. Annie wanted so badly to mend her
relationship with her mother, but the stubbornness between the two got the best of them. Jamaica
Kincaid describes her real feelings about her mother throughout the book much like Annie. She
longs for their now non-existent relationship that she wishes to have once again.
At the end of the book Annie John summarizes her life, and ready to tell her story to
anyone who decides to ask who is she. Annie leaves Antigua just as Kincaid did, giving hugs and
kisses to those she will miss, including her mother. Annie thought to herself that she was about to
leave her parents and her beloved home, she claims she felt somewhat of an emptiness inside just
thinking about leaving all that she knew forever. I felt a familiar hollow space inside. I felt
that someone was tearing me up into little pieces and soon I would be able to see all the little
pieces as they floated out into nothing in the deep blue sea.
Annie had mixed emotions, she was exited to leave, but also very sad to leave. She and
her mother had a horrible relationship, but in the end they still had an unconditional love for one
another. Annie was on the boat and was now ready to start a new life, even though she didnt
know of the family members that she were going to be living with. She said to herself while
pulling away on the boat that she is never going to see this place again which was a relief, but a
sharp pain fell upon her heart as she thought about it. She was ready to leave and start over but
dreaded this feeling of not knowing what is to come.
She searched for her parents through the crowd of people, because she remembered that
it was routine to wave goodbye to your family, while on a boat. She reached for the red
handkerchief given to her mother only for the reason to wave. She could not spot her father but

she did make contact of her mother on the thick crowd. They waved and waved until Annies
mother shrunk into a dot. After losing sight of her mother she went down to her cabin and waited
to arrive at her new destination.

Works cited
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaica_Kincaid
www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Jamaica_Kincaid.aspx
biography.yourdictionary.com/jamaica-kincaid
biography,jrank.org/pages/4506/Kincaid-Jamaica.html
Annie John the book