Independence Measured by Friendship in the novel "Annie John" by Jamaica Kincaid.

In the book Annie John, Jamaica Kincaid writes about the journey of a girl who goes through many different trials. From the beginning to the end of the novel, Annie John tells her story in the first person narrative, giving insight to personal experiences and helping the reader truly feel and understand each scenario separately as well as comparing them in a whole. Throughout the story, Annie John becomes friends, or recalls friendships she has …

…grasp, and she felt she needed to be with the Red Girl to give her the type of independence she wanted. As a child, when she played with Mineu, she felt she had to follow whatever he dictated just because he was older and male. However, all these things eventually fell away, and Annie learned that she was a strong and independent woman who did not need the compassion, model, or guidelines of other people.