English Literature

English Literature

(Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid)

Compare and contrast the friendship between Annie and Gwen, and Annie and the red girl.

Annie made a lot of friends during her change from a child to a young woman but two persons stand out above the rest namely; Gwen and the red girl. Annie and Gwen had a very close friendship. After their meeting on the first day of school they immediately fell in love with each other and soon became inseparable. Thereafter, both girls walked home everyday confiding in each other their fears, dreams and love for each other.

Annie also had a very close friendship with the red girl for a short time. Upon meeting they immediately started spending more time with each other. When Annie was done with her chores she would go and meet the red girl everyday at the old lighthouse. Because of her affection for the red girl, Annie went through great lengths to steal money from her mother to buy gifts for her just to see her red face grow redder in the sunlight.

However, whereas Annie's friendship with Gwen was approved by her mother, her friendship with the red girl was not. Because of this Annie had to hide the fact that she was spending time with the red girl in the afternoons by lying to her mother and she even had to hide the fact that she not only played marbles but became very good at it. Annie's friendship with the red girl seems to have been founded on the fact that the red girl's life style was not approved by Annie's mother. Because of this, Annie's attraction to the red girl seems to be based on a deeper sense of rejection of her mother and the values she represents.