The effects of colonization on the Caribbean family, as described by various Caribbean writers of the 20th century, are as complex as they are vast. These authors show that families continue to struggle with issues of separation, poverty, and cultural identity that create extraordinary difficulties for families living on these postcolonial islands. It can be argued that all families face struggles, both internal and external, and while this is undoubtedly true, the struggles that the families depicted in these novels endure have a direct link to their colonized past and the influences of the colonizer, still felt by the colonized countries. and their people. The abolition of slavery in these islands did not eliminate the particular problems that the former slaves, now inhabitants, would inherit, nor the effects or consequences that these problems would create for the family. One of the most prevalent concerns in these families is that of separation, both literal and emotional, due to differences in family members' interpretation and acceptance of their own cultural identity. We can see a literal family separation in Jamaica Kincaid's "Annie John", both through Annie's mother's emigration from the Dominican Republic to Antigua, to Annie's eventual immigration to England . These literal family separations stem from economic and educational reasons. Annie John leaves Antigua and her family at the age of sixteen to pursue a continuing education that she cannot find in her own country. We can see the emotional impact this has on Annie when she describes her conflicted feelings following his departure: “My mother and father... middle of paper... mercolonizer. The authors of these novels show us a glimpse of what it was like and what it means to grow up and live in a postcolonial country. Their mouths have been the mouths of misfortunes which have no mouth. Works cited Césaire, Aime. “Xcesaire.” Educational Web Server -. Internet. November 20, 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. Internet. November 24, 2010. Kincaid, Jamaica. Annie Jean. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1985. Print. Marshall, Paula. Song of praise for the widow. New York: Plume, 1983. Print.