The stages of Annie’s maturation and her quest for a sense of self are rooted not only in Kincaid’s admitted autobiographical fashioning of her fiction but also in the context of Caribbean beliefs and customs. Annie’s fear of losing her mother, which in turn spurs her independent development, begins when Annie realizes that her mother’s social life and responsibilities are anchored in a community outside her own perceptions and understanding. Her mother must be available to her neighbors when sickness or death occurs, and her bathing of the dead girl’s body as a gesture of social obligation raises the fear in Annie that her mother could die, leaving her alone in the world. Her father’s handmade coffin for the girl further raises the possibility that she could be left with no parents at all, but Annie does not yet grasp the community’s compassion for all of its children.