Welcome to 'A Walk to the Jetty': Study Notes (IGCSE Prose)

Hello there! This short story by Jamaica Kincaid is a powerful but quiet piece about one of the biggest moments in a young person's life: leaving home. It’s an extract from her novel Annie John, focusing on the very last moments the narrator, Annie, spends on her home island (Antigua, in the Caribbean) before setting off for a new life.
Don't worry if the story feels simple at first—its power lies in the depth of feeling and the amazing way Kincaid uses language to show us exactly what Annie is thinking and feeling.

Why is this story important for the exam? It is a fantastic example of a coming-of-age story, focusing heavily on internal conflict and the complex relationship between a daughter and her mother. It tests your ability to analyze the writer's methods (AO3) and understand the central themes of separation and identity (AO2).

1. Story Overview and Context (AO1 & AO2)

1.1 The Narrative Structure: A Farewell Checklist

The entire story details Annie John’s final journey from her home to the jetty (a pier or dock) where she will board a boat to travel abroad for schooling. The structure is essentially a series of observations and memories she reviews during this walk.

  • The story is told in a single, continuous sequence, like a long, deep breath.
  • Annie walks through the town, acknowledging familiar sights, people, and objects for the last time. This structure emphasizes her internal conflict: she desperately wants to leave, but she is also intensely attached to everything she is abandoning.
  • The physical walk mirrors her emotional transition from childhood dependence to adult independence.

Did you know? Jamaica Kincaid herself grew up in Antigua, and many of her works, like this one, explore themes of separation, exile, and the complicated relationship between the Caribbean islands and their former colonial rulers.

1.2 Key Characters

This story relies heavily on the narrator's internal experience.

a) Annie John (The Narrator and Protagonist):

  • She is 17 years old and standing on the threshold of adulthood.
  • Internal Conflict: She feels a mixture of excitement and dread. She is both exhilarated to escape her mother's influence and terrified of the unknown.
  • Detachment: During the walk, she seems detached from the people around her, almost viewing them as characters in a play she is leaving. She is already starting to see herself as separate from her community.

b) The Mother:

  • Although she says little, her presence is immense. The decision to leave is largely driven by Annie’s need to separate from her.
  • The Mother-Daughter relationship is defined by a fierce love that has turned into a fierce competition as Annie has grown up.
  • Her final embrace is described as weak, suggesting that the long conflict has exhausted both women, or perhaps signifying her necessary emotional release of Annie.

Quick Review: The plot is simple—a walk—but every step is loaded with significance because it’s a journey towards freedom, loneliness, and growing up.


2. Exploring Key Themes (AO2)

The main themes are universal struggles that students can easily relate to:

2.1 Separation, Transition, and Identity

This is the heartbeat of the story. Annie is leaving her old identity behind to find a new one.

  • Leaving the Nest: The story captures the scary but thrilling moment of separation. Annie constantly refers to the familiar world she is leaving behind, emphasizing how huge the change will be.
  • Defining Self: To become an independent adult, Annie feels she must physically and emotionally break away from her mother. Her new identity is achieved through exile.
  • Ambivalence: Annie’s feelings are complex. She notices the smell of the dust and the faces of the people intensely—showing her love for the island—but she insists she will never return, demonstrating her need for absolute severance.

Memory Aid: Think of the theme as A B C: Adolescence (ending), Breaking away (from Mother), Coming of Age (starting a new identity).

2.2 The Mother-Daughter Relationship

Kincaid portrays this relationship not just as loving, but as intense, controlling, and ultimately restrictive.

  • Their relationship has been a battleground since puberty. Annie’s departure is the final act of winning her independence.
  • When Annie describes her mother’s farewell hug, she notes the unexpected weakness: "It was a feeble hug, and not the way she usually hugged me." This suggests the mother has finally surrendered her control, acknowledging Annie's transition.
  • The final, silent goodbye suggests a profound understanding and acceptance of the necessary separation, despite the pain.
2.3 Isolation and Loneliness

As Annie walks, she feels increasingly isolated. This loneliness is the price of her independence.

  • She sees groups of girls and feels "I didn't care to ever see them again"—a deliberate act of severing ties.
  • The description of the ocean (AO3) is overwhelming, suggesting the vast, terrifying loneliness she is sailing into. She describes the sea as a “huge, wide nothing”.

3. Writer’s Intentions and Methods (AO3)

Kincaid uses specific literary techniques to make us feel the intensity of Annie’s experience.

3.1 Narrative Voice: First-Person and Stream of Consciousness
  • First-Person ("I"): We only hear Annie’s thoughts, making the story intensely personal. We are completely inside her head, sharing her fears and her excitement.
  • Stream of Consciousness: The narrative flows rapidly from observation to memory, capturing the chaotic, emotional state of someone facing a huge change. The writing often feels like a list of sensory details and fleeting thoughts.

Example: Instead of saying "I am sad," Annie lists the familiar objects, and we *feel* the sadness of saying goodbye to them.

3.2 Use of Listing and Catalogue Style

Annie mentally lists everything she sees on the walk: the small pink and white stones, the specific trees, the people she knows.

  • Effect: This catalogue emphasizes how deeply rooted Annie is in this place. By meticulously noting everything, she is performing a final, internal ritual of memory. She is packing these images away in her mind.
3.3 Imagery and Sensory Detail

Kincaid brings the setting to life using vivid, intense sensory language, which connects directly to Annie's emotional state.

  • Sight and Smell: Annie notices the "smell of dust and dirt and the other smells that I can’t quite name"—smells that are unique to her home. This makes the place feel very real and emphasizes what she is losing.
  • Colour: The colour black becomes significant. Annie describes the deep, dark colour of the ocean near the jetty, contrasting it with the sunlit world she is leaving. The blackness symbolizes the unknown future and the fear beneath her excitement.
3.4 Tone: Detached and Poetic
  • The tone is often observational and slightly detached, reflecting Annie's need to control her emotions. She observes her own tears (when she finally cries) rather than simply experiencing them.
  • The language is also highly poetic and lyrical, especially when describing nature or deeply held emotions.

Common Mistake to Avoid: Don't confuse Annie's desire to leave with hatred. She isn't leaving because she hates her home; she is leaving because she loves herself more and needs space to grow. The intensity of her observations shows her deep, lasting connection to the island.


4. Key Quotations and Analysis (AO1 & AO3)

Use these quotes to prove your point about themes and methods in the exam.

1. Describing the walk:
"I remembered everything I had ever heard or seen or done, and all of it seemed significant, as if told in a vision."
Analysis: This captures the intense feeling of a major life transition. Everything is seen through a haze of nostalgia and finality. It shows her stream of consciousness at work.

2. Describing the jetty/ocean:
"The sun was shining, and the sky was a deep blue, and the sea was a deep blue, but as I looked at the sea, it suddenly grew dark, and a great big wave came up and covered me."
Analysis: This is a moment of foreshadowing and symbolism. The darkness of the sea symbolizes Annie’s overwhelming fear of the future. The wave is her anxiety washing over her, suggesting the journey ahead will be emotionally difficult.

3. The mother's farewell:
"I stood on the jetty and watched them move away, and then I couldn’t see them anymore." (Referring to her parents who left her on the boat.)
Analysis: The simplicity of this line underscores the profound nature of the separation. The parents physically move away, but the distance is emotional, marking the official end of Annie’s childhood dependence.

4. Annie’s final thought on her new life:
"I was not a girl anymore, and I would never be one again."
Analysis: A clear, direct statement confirming the theme of transition and maturity. She embraces the inevitable loss of childhood for the sake of adult identity.


5. Exam Focus: What to Remember

The Four Assessment Objectives in 'A Walk to the Jetty'

When you answer a question on this story, make sure you cover all four AOs:

  • AO1 (Content): Reference the physical elements of the walk (the specific sights, the weather, the people on the jetty) and quote Annie’s internal dialogue.
  • AO2 (Themes): Discuss the journey to independence, the conflict with the mother, and the simultaneous feelings of relief and loss.
  • AO3 (Methods): Focus strongly on the first-person narrative, the use of sensory imagery (smells, colours), and the catalogue structure.
  • AO4 (Personal Response): Express how Kincaid makes *you* feel about Annie’s difficult choice. (E.g., "I find Kincaid’s description of the massive ocean deeply effective at conveying the narrator’s sudden feeling of insignificance...")
Step-by-Step Analysis Tip for Extracts

If you get an extract detailing a part of the walk, ask yourself three things:

1. What is Annie looking at? (AO1/Content)
2. How does she describe it? (AO3/Language—look for adjectives, metaphors)
3. What does that description tell us about her emotional state? (AO2/Theme—is she nostalgic, detached, or afraid?)

Example Analogy: Think of 'A Walk to the Jetty' like cleaning out your childhood bedroom before moving away. You touch every object one last time, recognizing its history, before you close the door forever. Kincaid lets us watch Annie doing that emotional 'cleaning' on her walk.

Key Takeaway: This story is less about action and more about feeling. Kincaid uses the simple act of walking to show the painful, necessary process of growing up and separating from the people and places that shaped you.