Although Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John can be described as a bildungsroman or coming of age story, the novel raises complex and compelling issues. Both Annie John’s mother and the colonial school undermine her transition into adulthood by teaching Annie to devalue her individual identity and culture. When Annie questions this perception, both lash out against her. Through a close and sensitive examination of the text, the ethnocentric bias and hidden agendas of those closest to Annie is uncovered and analyzed. As West Indian writers, particularly women writers, gain more recognition, it is crucial to acknowledge and understand the effects that growing up on a colonized island has upon West Indians. A deeper reading of Annie John exposes the prejudices and power relationships that continue to haunt formerly colonized islands.
","abstract_html":"<p>Although Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John can be described as a bildungsroman or coming of age story, the novel raises complex and compelling issues. Both Annie John’s mother and the colonial school undermine her transition into adulthood by teaching Annie to devalue her individual identity and culture. When Annie questions this perception, both lash out against her. Through a close and sensitive examination of the text, the ethnocentric bias and hidden agendas of those closest to Annie is uncovered and analyzed. As West Indian writers, particularly women writers, gain more recognition, it is crucial to acknowledge and understand the effects that growing up on a colonized island has upon West Indians. A deeper reading of Annie John exposes the prejudices and power relationships that continue to haunt formerly colonized islands.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Gillespie, Sandra Walton"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MA (Master of Arts)","degree_level":"Thesis - restricted","degree_discipline":"English","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2001,"date_issued":"2001-08-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2001-08-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:19:07Z","subjects":["West Indian literature","Jamaica Kincaid","Annie John","Arts and Humanities","English Language and Literature"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/104","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Gillespie, Sandra Walton"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["1990-01-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2001-08-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - restricted"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MA (Master of Arts)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["West Indian literature","Jamaica Kincaid","Annie John","Arts and Humanities","English Language and Literature"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright by the authors."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/1154/viewcontent/gillespies0731.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/104"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Although Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John can be described as a bildungsroman or coming of age story, the novel raises complex and compelling issues. Both Annie John’s mother and the colonial school undermine her transition into adulthood by teaching Annie to devalue her individual identity and culture. When Annie questions this perception, both lash out against her. Through a close and sensitive examination of the text, the ethnocentric bias and hidden agendas of those closest to Annie is uncovered and analyzed. As West Indian writers, particularly women writers, gain more recognition, it is crucial to acknowledge and understand the effects that growing up on a colonized island has upon West Indians. A deeper reading of Annie John exposes the prejudices and power relationships that continue to haunt formerly colonized islands.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Maternal Shadows and Colonial Ghosts in Jamaica Kincaid's Annie John."]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Gillespie, Sandra Walton"],"dc:date.available":["1990-01-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2001-08-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Although Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John can be described as a bildungsroman or coming of age story, the novel raises complex and compelling issues. Both Annie John’s mother and the colonial school undermine her transition into adulthood by teaching Annie to devalue her individual identity and culture. When Annie questions this perception, both lash out against her. Through a close and sensitive examination of the text, the ethnocentric bias and hidden agendas of those closest to Annie is uncovered and analyzed. As West Indian writers, particularly women writers, gain more recognition, it is crucial to acknowledge and understand the effects that growing up on a colonized island has upon West Indians. A deeper reading of Annie John exposes the prejudices and power relationships that continue to haunt formerly colonized islands.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/1154/viewcontent/gillespies0731.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/104"],"dc:rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"dc:subject":["West Indian literature","Jamaica Kincaid","Annie John","Arts and Humanities","English Language and Literature"],"dc:title":["Maternal Shadows and Colonial Ghosts in Jamaica Kincaid's Annie John."],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - restricted"],"thesis:degree_name":["MA (Master of Arts)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:19:07Z"}