The novel Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid shows how a young girl's relationship with her mother changes as she goes through puberty. Annie John, the 12-year-old girl, develops mentally and physically, but also begins to distance herself from her mother with whom she has been close all her life. The girl's disobedient stance towards her mother is shown throughout the novel, creating a toxic mother-daughter relationship. When Annie John was little, she loved spending time with her mother, but as she grows up, she begins to show hatred towards her mother. The relationship between Annie and her mother changes throughout the novel as Annie becomes a rebellious teenager, going against her morals. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay Before Annie John reached the stage of puberty, she was in a romantic relationship with her mother and they spent a lot of time time together. She and her mother were close-knit and the two spent their time bathing, shopping, cooking and much more. One day during lunch, she looked at her father and didn't think about it, but when she looked at her mother, she took a moment and cherished her mother's beauty: "When my eyes fell on Father, I didn't think much about it. of his appearance. But when my eyes fell on my mother, I found her beautiful” (Kincaid 18). She expresses her mother's features in a loving tone, showing how much she truly loved her. Annie had great admiration for her mother and wanted to be exactly like her. Throughout the story, Kincaid shows Annie John following her mother, admiring her mother's beauty and doing just like her mother. Whether it was cooking dinner in the kitchen or watching her mother wash, Annie was always by her side. As Annie John becomes a teenager, she begins to have a toxic relationship with her mother and begins to keep secrets from her, becoming a disobedient child. . For example, the following scene shows her going against her morals: "It was easy enough to rummage through my mother's purse for a few pennies...I didn't wonder what the Red Girl could actually do serve these gifts; I didn’t care that she only glanced at them for a moment and then placed them in the pocket of her dirty dress.” Annie John was looking to buy a gift for the girl she loved, but had no money, so she stole it from her mother. As the novel progresses, Annie John reaches an age where she no longer receives as much attention from her mother. Her mother believes that since she is becoming a young woman, she should start finding her own way of life. This makes Annie John feel betrayed and unloved, and because of this, she begins to act very differently towards her mother, stealing and lying to her. She soon begins to hate her mother, sometimes wishing she were dead. The two characters drift apart, losing the close bond they originally had. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The mother-daughter relationship between Annie and Mrs. John is torn as Annie John becomes an unruly teenager. When Annie John was little, she and her mother spent every moment together and had a very strong relationship. As Annie John begins to reach puberty, their relationship becomes strained and they begin to drift apart. Mother-daughter relationships are strained, and Kincaid shows this through these two characters. The relationship between a mother and daughter develops from birth, but Kincaid.