How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
For I could not be sure whether for the rest of my life I would be able to tell when it was really my mother and when it was really her shadow standing between me and the rest of the world. (6.33)
This is an incredible spatial metaphor that describes Annie's feeling of being blocked by her mother. What measures does Annie take to break free from the shadow of her mother?
Quote #5
For over a year, no rain fell. […] No rain came right away with the black clouds, but then one day it started to drizzle, first in that annoying way of a drizzle, where it stings your face and your hands and your feet. That went on for a few days, when suddenly the rain started to come down in a heavy torrent. The rain went on in this way for over three months. (7.2)
On the island of Antigua, time is often marked by weather and drastic weather changes. In a land where the sun is always blazing, a period of three-month rains represents a major sign that something big is happening in the narrative.
Quote #6
I knew that in my fifteen years a lot of things had happened, but now I couldn't put my finger on a single thing. As I fell asleep, I had no feeling in any part of my body except the back of my skull, which felt as if it would split open and spew out huge red flames. (7.6)
This is a classic Kincaid move. She gives the reader a concrete time to hold on to, but then moves quickly to the dream world, leaving us feeling like there is a shaky boundary between reality and fiction.