The Effects of Caribbean Colonization on the Family: Through the Eyes o

The effects of colonization on the family of Caribbean people, as described by various twentieth century Caribbean woman writers, are as complicated as they are vast. These authors show that families continue to struggle with separation, poverty, and cultural identity issues that create extra ordinary difficulties for the families who live on these post-colonial islands. It can be argued that all families have struggles, both internal and external, and while this is undoubtedly true, the struggles that the families described in these novels endure have a direct connection to their colonized past and the influences of the colonizer, still felt by the countries colonized and their people. The abolition of slavery in these islands did not eliminate the special problems that the former slaves, now inhabitants, would inherit, nor did it eliminate the effects or consequences that these issues would create for the family. One of the most prevalent concerns for these families is that of separation, both literally and emotionally, due to differences in the family members interpretation and acceptance of their own cultural identity. We can see literal family separation in Jamaica Kincaid's â€Å"Annie John,† through both the emigration of Annie's mother, from the Dominican to Antigua, to Annie's eventual immigration to England. These literal separations of family are derived from economical and educational reasons. Annie John leaves Antigua, and her family, at the age of sixteen to pursue a continued education that she can not find in her own country. We can see the emotional toll this has on Annie as she describes her conflicted feelings on her departure: â€Å"My mother and my father... ...mer colonizer. The authors of these novels show us a glimpse of what it was and is like growing up and living in a post-colonial country. Their mouths have been the mouth of misfortunes which have no mouth. Works Cited   Cesaire, Aime. "Xcesaire." Instructional Web Server -. Web. 20 Nov. 2010.   Danticat, Edwidge. Krik? Krak! New York: Vintage, 1996. Print. Edgell, Zee. Beka Lamb. London: Heinemann, 1982. Print.   Estimates, By Some. "Haiti Earthquake Six Months Later: Where Do Things Stand? - ABC News." ABCNews.com - ABCNews.com: Breaking News, Vote 2010 Elections, Politics, World News,Good Morning America, Exclusive Interviews - ABC News. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. Kincaid, Jamaica. Annie John. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1985. Print. Marshall, Paule. Praisesong for the Widow. New York: Plume, 1983. Print.