Annie John

On her last day in Antigua, Annie wakes up thinking about her own name. She is 17 and is about to sail to England, where she will study to become a nurse. She doesn’t want to go to England or become a nurse, but she would do anything to avoid staying in Antigua. She lies in bed, looking around her room at the things that used to be important to her, and she hopes never to see any of them again. She remarks that her father’s name is Alexander and that he is 35 years older than her mother, who is also called Annie. He has two children who are older than Annie’s mother. He is now sickly, and her mother must devote herself to nursing him. Seeing this, Annie is determined never to marry.

Annie sees that her parents are together while she is set apart from them, but she knows that it is she who has changed, not they. They are the same as they ever were. She wonders why she never realized what a “hypocrite” her mother is; her mother has always told Annie how much she loves her and cannot live without her, all the while slowly arranging for their ultimate separation.