Jamaica Kincaid’s second novel,

Lucy

, is a continuation of sorts to her previous novel,

Annie John

, which documented a young girl’s coming-of-age in the West Indies, as well as her increasing alienation from her family and, in particular, her mother.

Lucy

continues this story by having the protagonist (not explicitly Annie John, but the associations are difficult to ignore) leave the island to become an

au pair

for a wealthy Chicago couple with three children. Ostensibly, this is so she can take nursing classes at night, and eventually return to the island with a respectable position. However, as the novel progresses, Lucy chooses to abandon her former life, refusing to open any of her mother’s letters (which contain news of her father’s death), ditching school, and exploring a…

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Citation: Grasso, Joshua. "Lucy". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 August 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=3807, accessed 28 March 2024.]

3807 Lucy 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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