The Strain of Mother-Daughter Relationships in Annie John Essay

The Strain of Mother-Daughter Relationships in Annie John Jamaica Kincaid accurately portrays how adolescence can strain mother- daughter relationships. The mother- daughter relationships are universal but "it is not clear why we avoid the topic"(Gerd). The father- daughter relationships and the mother- sons relationships are the issues mostly talked about. In Jamaica Kincaid's novel, Annie John, she explains and gives insight into mother- daughter relationships. In Annie John, there are events that make people think about their relationship with their own mother. Kincaid expresses this relationship through her main character Annie who tries to find her own identity. The relationship between Annie and her mother (also called Annie) was very strong and they do a lot of things together. By the time Annie turns twelve, she starts to go through some changes which many teenagers normally goes through. In order for Annie to mature and prepare for the world, Annie's mother told her to find her own way of life. Due to these new changes, the relationship between Annie and her mother begins to degenerate. Annie now did things her mother disapproved of. At the end of the story, their relationship was okay but not as strong as it was before. After reading this book I saw that the main issue discussed in her novel, is all the stages mother- daughter relationships go through. The mother- daughter relationships are intense relationships. This is a relationship most daughters have with their mother from birth. Both male and female children are attached to their mother from birth, but most male child quickly grows out of it. The daughter is so attached to the mother in a complex way in whic... ... Louis F. Caton. "Romantic Struggles: The Bildungsroman and Mother- Daughter Bonding in Jamaica Kincaid's Annie John." Melus. vol. 21, No.3. Fall 1996. 125-42. Rpt. in Literature Resource Center. Nagel, James. "Desperate Hopes, Desperate Lives: Depression and Self Realization in Jamaica Kincaid's Annie John and Lucy." Traditions, Voices, and Dreams: The American Novel Since the 1960s. Ed. Melvin J. Friedman and Ben Siegel. U. of Delaware P, 1995, 237-53. Rpt. in Novels for Students. vol. 3. Rpt. in Literature Resource Center. Phyllis NCTU. "The Images in Annie John." 4 May 2000. 10 Dec. 2000. William M. Smith. "Annie's Mother and "Mary": Motherhood in Various Literary Forms." 26 July 1999. 15 Dec. 2000.