Annie John, Jamaica Kincaid - Essay Example

The Process of Loss The author has deliberately presented loss as one of the features that describe Anna John. The most outstanding losses that she experiences are the physical and emotional disjoins from her parents, more specifically her mother. It is surprising to see a broken painful loss of this relationship that grows to something worse, having been introduced as unusually close relationship with her mother and how she worshiped her. It makes Anna John want to admit that there is no room left for her in her parents’ house.

The loneliness of Anna John is also revealed by the loss of her two friends, Gwen, and the Red girl who is a tomboy. In her effort to escape from her ‘nagging’ society, Anna John admires the unstructured, carefree life of this Red girl. She tries to fit in by playing marbles; this relationship sees her through petty theft and lies. The loss of Gwen intensifies the isolation of Anna John further, this happens when her academic prowess makes her be promoted to the next class with bigger girl.

There, Anna John finds herself socially isolated and lonely, she also considers Gwen a dull friend, and therefore, she avoids her. The feeling that makes her admire going to Belgium all in an attempt of avoiding her mother overweighs her. At this point, it is evident that all she if fed up, indifferent and bored with her life. Amid all these escape trials comes one that would be considered the worst feeling in a girl’s life and the feeling that one is not beautiful, hate for oneself and felling misplaced.

This happens to Anna John when she heads into town. Annie stares at her reflection in a store window and feel defeat by depression at seeing she look so ugly and shabby. More painfully is when a group of boys laughs at her, as if this is not enough she gets home, and her mother confronts her and calls her a slut. High with anger Anna John responds, "Like mother, like daughter." This confrontation exaggerates her loss of her mother’s love. Anna Jones faces emotional, mental, and emotional detachment when she suffers a mental breakdown (Annie, 3-4).

This brings into focus the degree of loss and suffering that she suffers from isolation, depression, and hate. Bedridden, she is not able to do the basics for herself; for example, she wets her bed, needs assistance in eating, and cannot be left alone. The climax of Anna John’s losses comes when she “loses” her parents to go study nursing in England. As her parents wave goodbye and watch her disappear in a boat she is forced to swallow the painful truth that she has no space in her parent’s house (Annie, 3-4).

The Mixing Feelings and Conflict With all the challenges that meet Ann John in her endeavor to discover herself and her position in the society, it is expected that she be burdened by deep emotions and conflict in crack to remain relevant and to be heard. The feelings of isolation and abandonment are among the mixing feelings that Anna John faces. These feelings are perhaps the root of her sorrow bearing in mind that she first feels abandoned when she saw her parents making love and feels rejected when seeing them because she is not part of their unification.

For the first time, she feels angry at her mother's neglect of their special relationship and starts to view her coldly. Anna John obviously feels misplaced and unwanted.