The Motif Of Water In Annie John, By Jamaica Kincaid

The Bildungsroman, Annie John, written by Jamaica Kincaid, is a novel about a protagonist named Annie John and her experiences from early childhood to late teens centered around the challenges that come with maturity. Jamaica Kincaid uses the motif of water to symbolize the challenges of gaining identity and finding yourself away from those who’ve guided you. Kincaid is able to illustrate this through Annie John, who learns how to separate herself from her mother and find her own self identity. Relating on a universal level for readers going through the same difficulties of trying to find their own place in the world alone, like Annie. In this first section of the novel, water is used to show the tight bond between Annie and her mother that

Water in this section is used as a way to describe the shift in Annie’s personality. “All the water from the sea filled me up, from my toes to my head, and I swelled up very big” (Pg. 112). The aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid afore Annie describes how finding her new personality has made her feel bitter about the ways she’s been acting. Kincaid uses Annie drinking water to symbolize Annie’s personality change. However, the way Annie’s personality changes isn't the way Annie intends, making Annie describe herself as being filled with salt water as this new identity she’s taken on isn’t normal to how she feels. “For one day, just as mysteriously as my sickness came, so it left. At the same time, just as mysteriously as the rain came, so it left” (Pg. 126). The aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid afor Annie had initially gotten sick, while she was sick there was a huge, dangerous rainstorm. The rainstorm lasted as long as Annie’s sickness, showing that the rain was connected to

In this last section of Annie John, Annie is now leaving for England alone with the guidance of her mother or any influential figures, water once again reoccurs as a motif in order to symbolize Annie’s final emotions and her outlook on the situation. “‘I shall never see this again” spilled out inside me.” (Pg. 145). The. When something spills it means it’s tipping over quickly, relating to Annie’s emotions. Annie is excited to gain her own independence and move away from her parents. However, she’s also realizing that she most likely will be unable to see her parents, making her filled with happiness & sadness as all her emotions spill out of her quickly – also relating to how she feels at the end. “They made an unexpected sound, as if a vessel filled with liquid had been placed on its side and now was slowly emptying out” (Pg. 148. The nlnlnlnlnlnlnlnlnlnlnlnlnlnlnln In this last section of the novel, Kincaid uses the motif of water one more time to express how everything about Annie’s life is gone and she’s resetting herself to have a new outlook on the