Is the Novel Annie John Suitable For Adolescent Literature

When one considers a text to engage adolescents in reading, the question of how much does it reflect and pertain to the adolescent arises. Is the text considered appropriate for the adolescent, taking into consideration the age, economic background and the students’ interest?

In order for a text to be considered fit for the adolescent, it has to portray certain key elements that will not only interest the adolescent readers but elements that relate directly to situations adolescents face, moreover it must contain believable, emphatic characters and a setting that is realistic. With knowledge of these, can one safely say that Annie John is quite suitable for an adolescent?

Annie John is a somewhat refreshing, enthralling novel that captures the reader from the onset. It is centered upon the growth and development of the protagonist Annie John and explores such themes as gender relations, Family relationships and a little colonialism. However, one may ask, how does the novel reflect adolescent literature?

There are certain key characteristics associated with Adolescent Literature that are depicted in the novel; for instance, the novel is multi themed. It explores issues such as mother daughter relationship, education, depression and to some extent racism. It focuses primarily on the tensions between the mother daughter relationship and Annie trying to identify herself. I remember reading the novel and thinking, I am just like Annie, I yearn to be understood but nobody understands me. It was like reading my life story from Annie’s point of view. Not only that, but at that level of development, it was difficult to accept being away from my mother for extended periods and feeling a sense of jealousy when attention was not directed toward me, and that is exactly how Annie felt. In so doing the novel presented characteristics and issues that young adults are able to identify with and thus created in me, a sense of security knowing that I was not alone in my experiences.

During that stage of development, adolescents are headstrong and openly defy their parents. We see that defiance in Annie in chapter three of the novel where she secretly hides stolen objects and blatantly lies to her mother to gain freedom to be with friends. Not only that but she maintains “a deceptive secret life” and presents a rebellious attitude toward her mother. These are things that all adolescents go through during that stage of development, therefore they would be able to connect with the novel and understand it.

In addition to that, the language used in the novel was rather simple and very effective and the imagery presented was genuine. Through this I was able to experience her emotions and situations and in some instances was able feel Annie’s state of predicament, identify with her squabbles against her parents and even imagine her and feel her pain during her illness.

Indeed, it may be safe to conclude that Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John is an appropriate genre for adolescents. Not only does it focus on the development of a girl through her adolescence but it also provides great detail on her experiences which are similar to that of young adults. In addition, it does possess some of the key attributes of adolescent literature; it is multi-themed, written in simple language, told from a first person narrative with the protagonist being the narrator, it is written for an audience of young adults and does have characteristics that young adults can identify with.