This article was written by Jennifer Ciotta
I acquired the unique opportunity to study abroad in the West Indies, specifically Barbados, in 1999. Besides bestowing me with the "travel bug" for life, I received a distinctive sort of literary education. For most English majors, as I was, the typical American-university curriculum consists of the usual canon beginning with Beowulf, eventually moving through the Romantic poets, then transferring to African-American slave narratives, and finally ending with more current literature such as Hemingway or Fitzgerald. During my stay in the Caribbean, I was introduced to another canon: the writing of the West Indies. Many Americans do not know these authors exist; however, their voices resound through the islands in British and American English, patois, French and Spanish. One author in particular has dominated the West Indian literary scene for years: Jamaica Kincaid.
She was born Elaine Potter Richardson on the tiny island of Antigua in 1949. Located in the Lesser Antilles island chain, Antigua is a small, tourist destination made up of light pink sand beaches. Its cultural traditions are derived from both African and British societies; for example, music and dance stem from their ancestral roots, while at school, children learn from the British English school system, even taking the life-altering A-levels (tests that determine if a student is admitted to the university of their choice). Most Antiguans speak with a West Indian-British accent, pronouncing words such as "Thomas" by saying the "th." The accent itself is often mixed up with a Jamaican accent, even to native speakers of the Caribbean.
Kincaid lived on Antigua for the first 17 years of her life. At first she had a loving relationship with her mother, being the only child, she was the center of her mother's affection. However, after Kincaid's mother gave birth to boys, the family attention was shifted to their wants and needs. Young Jamaica's relationship with her mother was destroyed, resulting in angst toward her family with feelings of bitterness and neglect. In Kincaid's famous novel Annie John, the main character had the same experience as her creator, Kincaid. For example, in the early years of Annie's life, her mother relished in her maternal role and treasured her daughter:
That night, as a punishment, I ate my supper outside, alone, under the breadfruit tree, and my mother said that she would not be kissing me good night later, but when I climbed into bed she came and kissed me anyway.
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