The narrator calls her mother “Aunt Jen”

The novel is an epistolary- written in a form of a letter or series of letters

The novel is written in the first person point of view- from a child narrator.

Date- use of chronemics – time

River muma- mermaid in rural jamaica- showcases dialect

River muma is a sign of bad luck- culture/beliefs

Her being separated from her mother keeps plaguing her mind that she’s also dreaming about it.
(Highlights the issue of migration)

Theme- issue of abandonment (just as mother is about to rescue her, she turns into a river muma, and
also dreamt that she disappeared)

A child narrator was used as they tend to be more believable because they have no filter. They do not
have the knowledge that adults have.

‘I don’t know what your face looks like’- shows how long ago the mother has left

“big tall strapping man”- the economic system at the time that made parents separate from their
children and could not take their children with them.

Doesn’t know her mother but gets bits and pieces of descriptions and characteristics from other people
which allowed her to create an image of what her mother might look and act like though she’l doesn’t
remember her.

Ebry dankey to him sankey- making his/her own decision

Mother and daughter doesn’t get along. (Aunt Jen and her mother)

“I don’t really have much to say “ child feels like she’s talking to stranger. Doesn’t even have a picture of
her and has to ask her; the adult.

N.B: This is the first time she’s talking to her mother (February 21, 1970)

She was taught to never ask for anything – culture

“Bye, Sunshine”- she’s speaking to her mother but the closure is so indifferent and dry.

Motif- The issue of abandonment

Theme: Migration, The Source of Neglect

May 27, 1970 (3 months and a 7 days later)

In this letter, sunshine is desperate for a response from her mother, desperate for the attention. She
goes as far as thinking that her mother is upset because she called her “Aunt Jen” and tried her best to
explain to her why; she feels guilty. She even used “Love Sunshine” as her closure which before was a bit
dry, hoping that this closure would be more acceptable.

June 3, 1970 (7 days)

In this letter, even her father isn’t around. This is the culture of our country.

Mother is able to keep in contact with brother but not with her own child.

Writer highlights Jamaican practices and proverbs

Anxiety abandonment is now heightened in this child that she is now finding excuses to make sense if
the fact that she doesn’t respond to her letters. But then she is having an internal conflict with the fact
that it is strange that both of her letter could be lost.

Sunshine’s perception of her mother is based on what she hears from other people.

Hard, hard…full full, quick quick- repetition: Jamaican creole- used for emphasis

“shet mlut ketch fly”- keep your mouth shut and no one will know anything

“less turkey, less taws”- the less letter she writes (the less you hope), the less disappointment; the
grandmother is very frank. She’s warning her as a way to protect her.

June 26, 1970- 23 days later; still no reply and she’s getting very anxious and eager to get a letter from
her mother in order to form a relationship with her.

So desperate that she’s creating a image of her mother in England, “walking, talking, going to work”.
Characteristics of a one’s mother should come natural to this child hut she was robbed of this.

She is even mixing up memories with her mother showcasing just how desperate she is to have at least
one memory of her mother.

“Sunshine”- theirs is no “Love” at the closure that may highlight acceptance.

But afterwards it shows that she may still be in denial as she believes that there is no way that aunt Jen
is getting her letter and not replying

July 5, 1970- 9 days

Ma says stop begging for attention; “stop pushing up on you”. This may give her a negative perspective
of her mother.

“Dear God, je veux cet endroit”- I want to leave this place. It would seem as if she wrote it in a different
language (French) to hide the fact that the mother was so desperate to leave.

The writer withholds a response from aunt Jen as a means to create suspense.
July 19, 1970- 14 days (2 weeks): The time span indicates her desperation and anxiety to hear from her
mother.

“Madda Penny”- Obeah woman: Ma went to her about her “serious serious dreams”

Read me up- term used in obeah

“strong man, domineering, controls you, his”- foreshadowing?

Did you really get married again: she was married before

Read from page 6-12

Your d-….- she doesn’t know where she stands with her mother. Her uncle told her that she was sick
which made her believe that this is the reason why her mother hasn’t written to sunshine. This indicates
the internal conflict of the child, a side filled with naivety, hope and desperation and the other realizes
that she just does not want to speak to her (the mature side).

September 20, 1970- 1 month 21 days- waiting until she feels better

In 7 months, she still hasn’t replied to even her first letter

“still recovering from your illness “ naivety as Aunt Jen could have found other measure to get a letter to
Sunshine.

Cobitch- Jamaican word

Aunt Sue is like a rock- simile, she is strong, always there for your friend. A rock only moves if someone
moves it. She is always by their side.

“she lickle but she tallawah- she is small but powerful, determined, she is a force.
Ramsay is showcasing Jamaican food/ dishes through Sue’s dishes

Showcasing Obeah through Madda Penny

The narrator has self esteem issues- she doesn’t know if she’s pretty or not and is afraid to ask. She
never got that type of validation from her mother- the fact that she’s beautiful no matter what. We also
now know that she is dark skinned.

September 5, 1970- 5 days later- signals her desperation to want to hear from her mother.

Mindset in the family is to migrate. He is drunken and drunken man tells no tales meaning he is saying
what is on his mind.

Jamaica used to cultivate rice and trade it- highlights the era and the practise of the time

Be screamed like when ma’s kettle is letting out steam- simile and aural imagery.

All my favourite people always leave- Issue of Abandonment. The fun times highlight how she really
feels about him.

I’m staying right here- foreshadowing

Bush have ears – people fass

Theme in Uncle Johnny’s behavior – Appearance vs Reality- he doesn’t wanna stay in Jamaica, he wants
to leave like everybody else

Backstory from gramps about her mother- she got pregnant when she was young, father followed her to
England and married her and that she is a nurse. Gramps was also the one who sent her away to
England

It was a practice to send away their daughter if she gets pregnant early

Didn’t want his wife to work and “cheating woman is an abomination of God” – Era and ideology

There must be some time of resent the mother holds towards sunshine as she believes h

Sent you to seek a fortune – first world country equals fortune; better opportunities

September…1970
*This book is a bildungsroman and an monologic epistolary

Things you used to send for me- she’s a child narrator; highlights honesty.

She uses a lot of similes in this letter- “look like…”

“heng pan nail”- Jamaican terminology

Sunshine’s father is very boastful.

Family finds out that Jenny has been divorced and is now married to a white man from Australia who
“comtrols” her.

Ma’s bubble has been burst- they thought she was having some difficulties, “she nuh sort out, no green
card” etc but now they realize that’s all a lie and that she realizes that jenny really doesn’t want
anything to so with them.

Sunshine is now showing full blown honesty, there are no excuses for aunt Jen’s actions anymore. This
showcasing her character development, the book is tracking her development as a person.

Though she grew up in a environment filled with love, but the fact that she is pining after a relationship
she doesn’t have with her mother shows that there is still something missing.

May 25, 1971- 15 days later

She is no longer giving reasons for her not responding. She has accepted it now. “sometimes I think
these days I’ll get a big big parcel from the post office with all my letters to you coming back unopened”
She no longer speaks to hibiscus hedges anymore which highlights maturity.

May 31, 1971- 6 days later

Practice of the day- parents filing for their kids after migration. Sunshine stated that her friends are
leaving her. Ramsay uses the child narrator to expose the common practice of the day which speaks to
the economic situation of the day which in turn speaks to the social issues where families would be
broken and the barrel children syndrome is present. Although everyone is leaving, she believes that the
best place for her is with her grandparents.

Sunshine writes these letters not only to try to connect with her mother but is using it as a coping
mechanism to express her emotions. She accepts that her mother will never reply.
June 10, 1971- 10 days

(Or me) in bracket- to further highlight the fact that the mother doesn’t have to come for her specifically
(or her) meaning she doesn’t really matter to her mother; accepting that her mother might not really
care about her

Big plum tree at our gate- foreshadowing? A coffin fell at their gate

The baby bottles, diapers, nappies,- when someone died with a baby they believe that these things will
help them to care for the baby, with these things. (Jamaican Superstition)

Ramsay uses humour after such a serious event

They sprinkled rum etc and burned the area near the gate as a practice of superstition, to run evil and
darkness.

“When you come”- still have this hope; delusion.

June 30, 1971- 20 days later

Having an internal conflict as she writes your daughter and marked it out, tried writing again, and
marked it out and settled with just Sunshine. This letter emphasizes her pain, she still yearns to know
how her mother looks and is using herself and her family if herself and her mother to know how aunt
Jen looks.

October 15, 1971- 3 months 15 days

Aunt Jen is causing a lot of problems with her family- “spreading your bed with your family “

Sunshine is very angry with her mother- raw emotions coming out. And she says so while being
respectful.

November 17, 1971- 1 month and 2 days

Sunshine feels passed around as her grandma wants her to go live with her father.

December 3, 1971- 16 days

Sunshine is no longer fully hell bent on her mother, she doesn’t dream about her much.

December 5, 1971- 2 days

Sunshine wants to see her mother for Chris but uses her grandparents as an excuse hoping she would
come
Practice- Jamaicans prepare for Christmas extravagantly, they work hard, paint the house, shop for
things, cook a lot of food.

The child narrator is able to give insight on the relationship with Ma and Gramps, with Jen and Ma, Aunt
Sue and Ma, and others in the community.

Mother’s are to know their child’s likes and dislikes but jenny does not and sunshine is giving her mother
to get to know her by sharing her likes and dislikes even though aunt Jen does not want that
opportunity

January 20, 1972 – 1 month and 15 days

Repetition – “you didn’t come, you didn’t come, you DID NOT come”-the absence of the shortened
“didn’t” puts more emphasis on her frustration. “You are a horrible person” Sunshine is angry,
frustrated and disappointed.

January 28, 1972- 8 days later

Sunshine has accepted that her mother will not answer her letters but she still writes which means
writing has now become her therapy- to express her feelings and emotions; to cope.

“Slap black dog for monkey”- swap something horrible for something worse.

There is going to be an election- political climate. Ma was a labourite from the days of the chief
(highlights political affiliation).

N.B: Michael Manley referred to himself as Joshua.

“Joshua”- Biblical Allusion. Joshua in the bible was a leader of the Israelites into Promise land after
Moses disobeyed God and most of the first Israelites died. Alluding that Joshua (Michael Manley) will
lead his people to the “promise land” meaning, a better life.

Ramsay uses Sunshine to highlight the political environment of the time

February 5, 1972- 8 days later

Worm crawling around didn’t know where he wanted to go until he decided where- foreshadowing?

Ramsay uses Sunshine to track the development and also the decline of other characters including Ma.
She goes as far as describing her as an old lizard on two legs who’s sad and looks tired, and barely leaves
her room; very vivid descriptions.

February 29, 1972- 24 days later

“Ma is my lion”- metaphor

We get an insight into Gramps and Ma’s relationship; the love and care which is present especially when
she got ill and was in the hospital.

Sunshine is facing trauma, she is losing those who are close to her. First her Uncle Johnny and now her
Grandmother who us her rock, her lion.

Marigolds were blooming near his grave -symbolizes Uncle Johnny’s smile. However it’s hard to think
about this when Uncle Johnny is no longer there to smile especially when she feels like she’s losing
another person. The flowers seemed as if they were a mockery, they are alive while Uncle Johnny is
dead, no longer able to smile, so she destroyed them.

Donkey eating the grass beside Johnny’s grave- symbol to death??

Chronemics- the time it took to wrote back to her mother on severe issues such as Uncle Johnny’s death
and Ma coming out of the hospital. Highlights that Aunt is very uncaring and unfeeling and it makes no
sense writing to her about these dire matters when she doesn’t even makes the effort to respond.

March 12, 1972- 12 days later

“!!!” highlighted the excitement of her grandmother getting better and leaving the hospital.

They really care about Ma seeing that the entire community went to their house to ensure she was well
after she came back to the hospital highlighting how good of a woman Ma really is especially to her
community. They love and support her.

Sunshine is now Ma’s wash belly- youngest child.

The Anancy story is metaphorical to Ma who “tek up ppl pickney, careless” who is Sunshine- Aunt Jen’s
daughter. She also feeds her community as well taking on the roll of community mother. She is using the
story to describe herself as well as others. If she is happy, they are happy, if she is sad, they are sad. It
seems also like a response to Sunshine telling her that she should stop writing to her mother because
she doesn’t want respond. Anancy emphasizes that there will always be a home where he is no matter
what, this is what Ma is doing.

The practice of calling family close friends “Aunty” and “Uncle”.

“Every kin teet not s laugh”- everything is not as they seem.

Next poem on the same day

Child narrator is used to highlight certain prejudices in her community especially in church or thinking
that they are more important than others

“Anglican- de Church of England is de only church dat people wid intelligence”- The mindset of the
people and the time. They believe that any culture or religion of the whites is superior.

The child narrator is used to highlight our religious practices and us trying to understand such practices-
like walking miles and passing other churches to go to YOUR church.

March 20, 1972 (8 days)

Jamaican culture – Harvest at church

Traditions- they passed down stories upon stories from one generation to another to another.

“Be a lion”- metaphor: Ma is a lion in terms of how she behaves.

“backra”- slave owners

April 29, 1972- 1 month and 9 days

Gramps is dead- very vivid description

Married for 43 years- Gramps and Ma

Two eyes Dem open waiting fe Jen- superstition that one who does with their eyes open means that
they are looking for someone or waiting to see someone they haven’t seen in while.

It seems expected for aunt Jen not to be at gramps funeral

May 13, 1972

Poppy show – idiot

Aunt Jen is just awfull

Sunshine is very angry. Emphasizing on the hate she now bore her mother.

September 30, 1972 -Almost 4 months later

Use of Chronemics; indicating how angry and frustrated she was with aunt Jan that she didn’t write a
letter to her in those months.

It seems as if Ma is able to relate to Mrs. Delgado since both lost their husbands albeit in different ways,
their sons are gone, one is dead and the other is overseas and she is not hearing from her only daughter.
October 19, 1972- 19 days later

Jen came to Jamaica

Sunshine is sick due to Ma dying- she had a nervous breakdown due to the death of her grandmother as
her grandmother has always been her rock, her lion, her mother.

Ramsay did not go into detail of Ma’s death as it is too much for sunshine to describe how her
grandmother died; it’d be too painful

She was not at Ma’s funeral

Cocoved eye wata- crocodile tears, not genuine at all; fake tears

These indirect descriptions of aunt Jen gives us a snobbish characteristics of Aunt Jen

November 19, 1972- 1 month later

Jen finally writes to her after 2 years

November 30, 1972- 11 days later

Life is difficult for sunshine

December 14, 1972

She has finally gotten her period – was seen as a euphemism

Seems as if sunshine is around 12- 15 taking into consideration that she may have gotten her period
early.

She must be in high school since primary schools did not do biology.

Superstition about mint tree dying when on period and picks leaf

Talking about one’s period was seen as taboo back in the day

March 10, 1973- Almost 3 months later

Sunshine is no longer naïve to believe aunt Jen’s excuses.

No longer sympathetic to her mother.

If em love de cow him muss love di cyaf- if you live the mother, you must love the child

To get her mother’s affection she was running away from abandonment and from reality, through her
letters, she was running away from the truth and now she has decided that she is not running away
anymore- her dream with the cows. She has accepted that her mother does not love her and has
abandoned her and she is facing this head on. Before she was troubled by her mother’s actions but no
more, she is no longer affected.

Motifs – Dreams

April 13, 1973- 1 month and 3 days

The narrator is used to relay feelings of other characters

When she came to Jamaica aunt Jen didn’t drink or eat from them but she’s saying that a man held her
back from visiting her family.

The tables have turned it is Jen who is writing letters now and sunshine is rarely responding.

She no longer is desperate for her attention, Aunt Jen is now the one who’s seeking said attention

May 4, 1973

Sunshine has finally found out the meaning of the french phrase- “I want to leave this place”. And finally
understand Aunt Jen’s actions

May 26, 1973

Chevy Chase- chasing her mother for affection but now she doesn’t play this game anymore she’s too
mature. She’s done with that and it seems it is when she’s done playing her mother has started.
Literally, she’s too mature for that. Metaphorically it’s like their actually playing a game- she describes
the actual game. She’s been surrounded by adults so she was grown to reason like adults. She was
exposed to this behaviour from growth right up.

June 9, 1973

Sunshine has moved on.

The letters have been shortened because she has nothing more to say anymore, she has solved her
internal conflict and has accepted everything.

July 7, 1973

Sunshine is about 16-17 right now.

People believed that some work were for men and some for women. Aunt Sue thought being an
engineer was a man’s work. But Sunshine did not believe that.
July 27, 1973

Sunshine started thinking about her future and what she will do with her life.

She dreamt of coffins and she buried all her fear and insecurities in them. She bought them and left
them in the store. Proof that she has left them; has walked away. This is what these coffins are symbolic
of.

January 6, 1974- over 5 months later

Gramps once migrated to Panama for economic gain, to work.

Mr Phillips was executor instead of Ma. Without an executor whatever u want in your will. It would
seem that Ma’s illness had changed his mind because what if Ma died immediately after he did.

He wanted to pass the land to his children.

Half the land is for Sunshine, and the other 2 quarters would be for Roy and Jen

Theme: Love and Family Relationship

May 18, 1974- 4 months and 12 days

Sunshine has changed. After the death of her family, her bubble of protection and love has become
undone. It is now her against the world. The lost of her bubble signifies the end of the naïve sunshine.
Her family (Ma, Johnny, Gramps, Aunt Sue, Uncle Roy) showed her what true love was, and Aunt Jen
showed her what is not love.

She has been quite frank and quite honest. She’s not the same sunshine and Jen will never be her real
mother, just the woman who gave birth to her. Ma is her real real family, her real mother.

Cooing bird- bird that sings in a nice sweet tone. So when Sunshine says Jen has killed the cooing bird
she means she’s killed the sweet little sunshine, she has destroyed her and secondly Jen killed her
mother (indirectly).

June 1, 1993- 19 years later

Chronemics- suggesting no communication between the two.

Sunshine’s daughter is writing to Jen.

She found letters from Sunshine to Aunt Jen. No relationship between Jen and Sunshine, no information
about Sunshine’s daughter.

Sunshine never speaks about her- she does not exist. She takes off of Sunshine with her frankness and
honesty which means it’s as if she does not exist.

Sunshine wholeheartedly takes after Ma with proverbs.

Proverbs- motifs- used to teach you something, mostly from experience; give advice, give warnings.

The child has a relationship with Uncle Roy though.

Motif- death; each time there is a loss there is an increase in the level of sunshine’s maturity.

Dreams- the stage of acceptance in which she’s at with her mother’s abandonment.

Letters- showcases her struggle in finding her identity.

Caskets- things that she’s letting go of.

The man that pulled her away from the plank is symbolic of the system/ economy.

This is a post colonial text- affects the content of the text and the language, customs and practices of the
people in the text for eg. (Migration and Separation of Families), Religion (Christianity; certain practices
like Christmas and going to church a lot), grand parents raising children/ community and Struggle to find
identity.

To find her identify she looks to her mother but it is the silence of her mother that catapults her into
finding her own self.

It would seem that Ma is going unknowingly struggling to find her identity as she aligns herself with the
European culture, and religion although she is only educated to an extent a she uses the mesolectal
variation of creole. This is seen when Sunshine asked why she goes to such a distance for the church she
attends and Ma says “only educated people go to the Church of England”.

Jen also faced an identity crisis and she abhorred the fact that she is Jamaican. She aligns herself with
English Culture.

Themes:

Struggle to Find Identity. This is shown mostly through the character of Sunshine. Ramsay uses the
structure and other devices (symbols,( motifs eg. Letters, Dreams, ‘Ma’ who is symbolical of the
consistent love, security and consequences that Sunshine is seeking)) of the text. She also uses contrast
between Ma and Jen. Because of this, it gives sunshine an idea of who she needs to be. Also contrast
between Sunshine and Jen. Sunshine is filled with warm as her namesake while Jenn is cold and distant.
This is a series of letters (epistolary, bildungsroman).

Love and Family Relationship- Aunt Jen and Sunshine (or the lack thereof), Ma and Sunshine, Ma and
Gramps, Sunshine and Extended family and friends. Literary devices ( simple, metaphor etc,), Motifs and
Symbols, Use of Contrast, Use of Languages- tells that they are really comfortable with each other as
oppose to Jen where sunshine normally uses standard English.

Migration vs Education for Economic Gain- Migration was seen as if the only way to obtain a better life.
The only way to do this was to work in a European or foreign country which includes characters such as
Jen, Roy and even Uncle Johnny. Ramsay however used Sunshine to challenge this ideology. She
showcased her character who championed in education rather than the desire to work overseas. She
used education to propel her and made her able to stand off financially.

Motif- the idea of migration

The card received by Jen- symbolizes how indifferent Jen feels about them as rigid as the postcard.

Aunt Jen is a social commentary – it speaks about the society as a whole in Jamaica. It speaks of the
economy, the familial structure, the language, religion and politics in Jamaican society at the time.