Banana Bottom | Banana Bottom

At a glance:

Author: Claude McKay
First Published: 1933
Type of Work: Novel
Type of Plot: Psychological realism
Time of Work: The early 1900’s
Setting: The town of Jubilee and the village of Banana Bottom, Jamaica
Principal Characters: Tabitha (Bita) Plant, Jordan Plant, Malcolm Craig, Priscilla Craig, Squire Gensir, Herald Newton Day, Hopping Dick Delgado, Jubban
Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Regional fiction
Subjects: Caribbean, Blacks, Love or romance, Race, Sex or sexuality, Twentieth century, Missions or missionaries, Religion, Rural or country life, Villages
Locales: Banana Bottom, Jamaica, Jubilee, Jamaica

The Novel

Banana Bottom is the story of a young Jamaican woman’s discovery of her country, her people, and herself. The novel begins with the return to Jamaica of twenty-two-year-old Tabitha “Bita” Plant, who has been abroad for seven years. After a flashback in which he explains the reasons for her absence, McKay tells the story of Bita’s life from her homecoming to her marriage, concluding with a brief epilogue that shows her as a contented wife and mother.

The tone of the book is detached, the pace leisurely. Like a loquacious village storyteller,...

Banana Bottom | Banana Bottom

At a glance:

The Novel

Join eNotes