Stories of growth: Caribbean Women Writers (3)

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Stories of growth Caribbean Women Writers (3)

• Individuation through Separation Annie John by
  Jamaica Kincaid

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Outline

• Kincaid
• About colonialism and Antigua
• And her mother
• Annie John
• Circling Hand
• A Walk to the Jetty

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Jamaica Kincaid Bio (1)

• Born Elaine Potter Richardson in St. Johns,
  Antigua in 1949 lived her step-father, mother,
  and three brothers
• father a carpenter and cabinetmaker
• mother a homemaker and political activist.
• Completed her secondary education under the
  British system

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Jamaica Kincaid Bio (2)

• Left Antigua (before its Independence) when she
  was 17.
• As the eldest of four, and the only girl, she was
  apprenticed to a seamstress, then plucked from
  school, where she was excelling, and sent to the
  US as an au pair ("really a servant")
• changed her name to Jamaica Kincaid because her
  family disapproved of her writing.

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Antigua

• A lot more blacks than white people
• No experience of freedom apprenticeship after
  Emancipation in 1834. Freedom was immediate but
  total. (Murdoch 99)
• A British colony till 1967.

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Kincaid on Colonialism Antigua

• Within the structure of the British educational
  system imposed upon Antiguans, Kincaid grew to
  "detest everything about England, except the
  literature" (Vorda 79).
• A Small Place rage at colonialism the failure
  of Antigua independence
• "But nothing can erase my rage . . . for this
  wrong can never be made right and only the
  impossible can make me still can a way be found
  to make what happened not have happened?"
• You distorted or erased my history and glorified
  your own")

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Kincaid about her mother

• She "should never have had children."
• She loves us when were dying - not when were
  thriving because then we dont need her.
• She favors her sons over Kincaid.

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Annie John

• One central question
• What makes Annie change her views about her
  family and esp. her mother?
• e.g. pp. 18-19 136

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The Circling Hand Starting Questions

• Mother-Daughter Relationship
• What kind of gender model does the mother offer
  Annie? e.g. p. 13-14 25
• What role does the father take in this part?
• What's the significance of the trunk? P. 20
• What do you think about the mothers way of
  teaching Annie?
• What does the title mean? What finishes her
  happy childhood and love for the family (p. 32).

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Mother-Daughter Relationship in Annie John

• Major Factors
• Caribbean society a male-dominated society in
  which the men are allowed to be irresponsible
  about housework, and enjoy sexual relationships
  outside marriage.
• Mother as a social institution to teach her
  girl to be socialized ( Englishized lady-like)

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The Circling Hand

• 1. The symbiotic stage (pp. 13-25)
• Examples of the daughters complete
  identification with the mother. pp. 13- 19
• -- Physical intimacy (bathing) 14
• -- protective 14-15
• -- Mothers gender role model shopping doing
  housework cooking, washing clothes p. 13-14
  25
• -- admiring the mother 18-19 be like the mother
  p. 139
• -- sharing cloth
• -- continuation of identity -- the Trunk P. 20
  (the mothers past Annies sourvenir
  story-telling)

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The Circling Hand 1-2

• 1. The symbiotic stage (pp. 13-25)
• -- the fathers role outsider has a lot of
  women
• -- Someone to be sympathized with
• -- Served and mothered by his wife p. 24
• A Walk
• -- builds and makes a lot of things in the house
• -- p. 132 35 years older than his wife sickly

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The Circling Hand (2)

• 2. Separation the changes at age 12
• in Annies body p. 25 p. 27
• her schooling -- p. 29
• The changes in the mothers attitudes
• The mothers distanciation her dresses p. 26
  trunk p. 27 differentiation 28-29
• the mothers expectations of her
• young lady business pp. 28-29
• Housework 29-30

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The Circling Hand (2)

• Why does the mother do this? Is it necessary
  for the mother to be so stern?
• Possible Reasons
• The mothers preoccupation with housework
• Her failure to smooth the transition from
  Annies childhood to puberty
• Her being influenced by the dominant British
  values.

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The Circling Hand (3)

• 3. the primal scene
• the importance of the circling hand? P. 30
• What role does the father take after this scene?
  
• Context Annies wanting to reconquer her
  mother

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The mothers hand

• 1. Mothers Hands
• -- taking care of Annie
• -- doing housework
• ? white, bony, dead, left out in the elements

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Mother-Daughter Relationship in Annie John
Examples

• The Circling Hand -- Forced to separate
  herself from the mother sent to be educated,
  witnessing the parents sexual intercourse
  (primal scene).
• Columbus in Chain mother turned into a
  crocodile p. 84
• being called a slut by her mother after
  conversing with a boy -- Well, like mother like
  daughter (p. 102)

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Annies independence process

• Pre-occupation with death
• Pre-Oedipal symbiosis with the mother
• Exploring her own sexuality Girl friends (Gwen,
  Red Girl)
• Resisting British education (Columbus in Chain)
• Fascination for the father (112-13)
• Illness grandmothers (Ma Chess) care-taking --
  a substitute for the mother (pp. 125-26)
• Leaving Antigua

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A Walk to the Jetty Starting Questions

• Is Annies separation from her family and the
  past inevitable and absolute? e.g. 130-131
  never 133-34 for the last time
• Is it appropriate for Annie to criticize her
  parents? Are you sympathetic with her hatred of
  the mother? Pp. 133
• What does she reject in leaving the place? Can
  you relate to her need to leave the place
  forever? pp. 144-148

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A Walk to the Jetty --separation

• A. From Mother
• (Circling Hand 1.different dressesAs
  bitterness and hatred
• 2. Enforced lady education mothers
  disappointment
• 3.stop kids talking---awareness
• 4.after the turning pointAll that was
  finished talk back.)
• 5.complete separation--- never to be fooled
  again hypocrite 147
• 6. Talk back 136 mothers image degraded

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A Walk to the Jetty --separation

• A. From Mother
• 7. On guard against the mothers love and
  expectations 147

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A Walk to the Jetty separation (2)

• B. From the social norm(and oppression)
• 1.to be a lady ? e.g. exploited by Ms Dulcie
  138
• 2.marriage ? sexual inequality
• 3.Gwen p. 137
• C. From the past (childhood memory)
• 1.Gwen
• 2. The community does not even want to say
  good-bye 136-37
• 3. Childhood memory

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A Walk to the Jetty

• Contradictory signs of independence signs of
  nostalgia in this chapter?
• independence
• Name, address,
• separation her listing of what she never wants
  to see joy at not having to see them. pp.
  130-132.
• her attention at whats hers and whats on her
  p. 134-35.
• Nostalgia and fear
• the moment of getting out of bed 133
• remembering a lot
• contradictory feelings at the wharf 144 145,
  147

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Walking away from the past (memories, education
and transitional objects)

• Ms. Dulcie the seamstress, p. 138
• first experience of buying things 139
• saving money
• interests that she has outgrown glasses,
  porcelain dog,
• library
• ? cannot deny the mothers good intention in
  educating her
• ? do we need to reject things we are no longer
  interested in or people who are no longer on a
  par with us?

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Walking to Empty Oneself

• Does not know why it is an absolute departure for
  her 134
• Passing through the place as if she were in a
  dream 143
• Emptied out at the end