"Annie John" and "Drown"

Paper Summary:

This compares the works of two Afro-Caribbean writers: Jamaica Kincaid's "Angie John" and Junot Diaz's "Drown". The paper focuses on the theme of alienation present in both novels, specifically focusing on the marginalized role of the father figure. The paper summarizes and compares each work as well as how each work treats the father figure and concludes that, despite the differences in both the works, there exists a common patriarchal order in both, which makes the reader question the woman's place in it.

From the Paper:

"Most families represented in Drown can be sharply contrasted with Annie John's family. Five out of ten stories fluctuate between abandonment and return of fathers. The rest are practically fatherless families. The number of single mothers through the collection is proof enough of the sexual irresponsibility of the men. The first sentence of Aguantando strikes the note of longing for an absent father - "I lived without a father for the first nine years of my life". The plight and the helplessness of the narrator is heightened when he says, "He had left for NuevaYork when I was four but since I couldn't remember a single moment with him I excused him from all nine years of my life" adding that "the only way I knew him was through the photographs my mom kept in a plastic sandwich bag under her bed". "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cudjoe, Selwyn Reginald. Caribbean Women Writers: Essays from the First International Conference. Univ. of Massachusetts Press, 1990
• Kevane, Bridget A. Latino Literature in America. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003

More papers on "Annie John" and "Drown":

• Comparison Essay # 145359 : "The Role of Fathers in Latino Families"
• Book Review # 99645 : "Annie John"
• Book Review # 45729 : "Kincaid's "Annie John"

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