Annie John Coming-of-Age Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

The summer of the year I turned twelve, I could see I had grown taller; most of my clothes no longer fit. When I could get a dress over my head, the waist then came up to just below my chest. My legs had become more spindlelike, the hair on my head even more unruly than usual, small tufts of hair had appeared under my arms, and when I perspired the smell was strange, as if I had turned into a strange animal. (2.14)

There are several moments in the texts when Annie gives herself the "once over." She is shocked and appalled by the changes she sees. Her Peter Pan dreams slowly die.

Quote #2

One day, my mother and I had gone to get some material for new dresses to celebrate her birthday (the usual gift from my father), when I came upon a piece of cloth […] I immediately said how much I loved this piece of cloth and how nice I thought it would look on both of us, but my mother replied, "Oh, no. You are getting too old for that. It's time you had your own clothes. You just cannot go around the rest of your life looking like a little me." To say that I felt the earth swept away form under me would not be going too far. (2.14)

This is a major blow for Annie. When her mother refuses to allow them to dress alike again, Annie feels rejected and crushed.

Quote #3

As if that were not enough, my mother informed me that I was on the verge of becoming a young lady, so there were quite a few things I would have to do differently. Behind a closed door, I stood naked in front of a mirror and looked at myself from head to toe. I was long and bony […] I could see the small tufts of hair under my arms […] my nose […] had suddenly spread across my face […] if I didn't know I was me standing there I would have wondered about that strange girl. (2.15)

When Annie's mother informs her of her changing body, Annie realizes that her peaceful, joyful world is now changing forever. All of a sudden her own body is this strange foreign object.