Mother-Daughter Relationships in Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi and Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid Essay Example

The books Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi and Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid are focused around the relationship between the main character and her mother. In both books, the main character struggles with their relationship with their mother as it changes drastically while they are still young. Later in the books, you can clearly see the effects of the relationship on their decisions they will make. The books Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi and Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid show the lasting effects of mother-daughter relationships on mental health, future relationships, and self-image.  

The effects of mother-daughter relationships in the books Annie John and Transcendent Kingdom are shown through the mental health and self-image of the main character. In Transcendent Kingdom, it is clear Gifty has mental and self-image issues. It can be inferred by the reader that these problems are a result of the difficult relationship between Gifty and her mother. Throughout the story, Gifty struggles with her brother’s opioid addiction and death. When Gifty’s brother died, her mother became severely depressed, staying in bed all day. It soon became Gifty’s responsibility to take care of her mother, sometimes more than she does herself. In chapter 8 of Transcendent Kingdom, the reader learns about how Gifty’s mother doesn’t believe in mental illness and therapy. Later in the chapter Gifty says she has never been to therapy. “I think when people heard about my brother they assumed that I had gone into neuroscience out of a sense of duty to him, but the truth is I’d started this work not because I wanted to help people but because it seemed like the hardest thing you could do, and I wanted to do the hardest thing. I wanted to flay any mental weakness off my body like fascia from muscle” (Gyasi, P. 36).  This quote shows how Gifty went into neuroscience because she needed a way to get rid of the weakness from her body. Gifty uses her work as an escape from the sadness she feels she has no other way to get rid of. In the book Annie John, Annie struggles with coming to the understanding of her being her own self, and her fear of separating from her mother. In the beginning of the story, Annie and her mother are shopping for dresses. When Annie says she likes a piece of cloth and it would look good to both her and her mother, her mother says she is too old for that and she needs her own clothes now. “To say that I felt the earth swept away from under me would not be going too far” (Kincaid, P.26). Annie has been taken care of by her mother for her entire life and she doesn't know how she can live on her own. When Annie is writing her essay, she talks about her mother leaving her and her fear for the day that happens. “Still she didn’t see me, and then I started to cry, for it dawned on me that, with all that water between us and I being unable to swim, my mother would stay there forever and the only way I would be able to wrap my arms around her again was if it pleased her or if I took a boat” (Kincaid P.44). This sentence explains Annie’s fear of her mother leaving her. She says she is unable to swim, symbolising her inability to be on her own without her mother. In both books, the effects of mother-daughter relationships are shown through the mental health and self-image of the main character. 

The effects of mother-daughter relationships in the books Annie John and Transcendent Kingdom are shown through the relationships of the main characters. In Transcendent Kingdom, Gifty is very untrusting and unable to open up to the people in her life. When Gifty and Katherine first meet, Gifty is hesitant to open up to Katherine. However, Katherine is persistent and finally gets Gifty to open up to her. When Gifty tells Katherine about her mother, she thought “The words rushed out of me and I was so happy, so relieved, once they were said” (Gyasi P.  184) This is similar to Gifty’s other relationships. Another example is her boyfriend, Raymond. When Raymond asks Gifty about her family, she always finds a way to avoid the topic. She has told him she is an only child because she finds it easier to say that than explaining what happened to her brother. When Raymond says he wants to meet her parents she always makes excuses like her mom doesn't like to travel. Even when Raymond finds a way to solve it she shuts him down again. The way Gifty keeps things to herself and is reluctant to open up to people is a direct result of her mother-daughter relationship. In Annie John, Annie relies on other people for the lack of attention she got from her mother. Annie’s addiction to the attention she used to get when she was younger makes her search for a new source of attention, since her mother is no longer giving her the attention she wants. This new source of attention is the Red Girl. This is seen when Annie’s mother gives Annie marbles. The marbles can be a symbolization of the attention Annie needs. Later in the story, the Red Girl gives Annie three marbles, symbolizing the shift of attention between her mother and the Red Girl. In both books, the effects of mother-daughter relationships are shown through the relationships of the main character. 

Although it is clear the actions taken by both Annie John and Gifty are an effect of their mother-daughter relationships, there are a few reasons one would believe otherwise. One is that Gifty could be so reserved because of the trauma of losing her brother. Although this may be true, It would be more realistic to be a result of her mother’s depression. Losing someone in your family will have many effects on someone, but it would be more directly tied to a mother daughter relationship. Gifty is very reserved because she never had her mother to talk to. Gifty doesn’t go to therapy or the doctor because her mother never did. In Annie John, Annie needs someone for attention because her mother would always give her attention. 

After adventuring into the theme of mother-daughter relationships on mental health, self-image, and future relationships in the books Transcendent Kingdom and Annie John it is clear that the lasting effects of a bad mother daughter relationship affect one’s life dramatically. The exploration of mother-daughter relationships in the books Transcendent Kingdom and Annie John help to better our understanding of their effects on mental health, self-image, and future relationships.