Annette Character Analysis in Girl in Translation

Annette is Kim's first and only friend at school. Her skin is so pale as to be translucent, which Kim finds fascinating. For the first year of school, Annette helps Kim in class by writing answers for her; Kim usually knows the answers in Chinese, and Annette's translations simply help her verbalize her thoughts. Annette is relatively well off; she and her brother live in a large house with pets and a housekeeper. At the beginning of their friendship Annette is curious as to how Kim lives, but when Kim mentions that she works in a factory, Annette insists that cannot possibly be true. At various points Annette takes Kim shopping or out for fun events, where they experiment with makeup and perfume—and because Annette is white, salesladies are willing to help her in a way they're unwilling to help Kim. In high school, Annette gets involved in theater and becomes very interested in protesting for social or political causes; she even calls herself a communist. Annette's activism is somewhat troubling for Kim, as Kim recognizes that Annette doesn't have real-world experience to guide her beliefs. Kim fears, for example, that Annette would protest and have the factory shut down if she knew Kim worked there, something that Kim and Ma couldn't afford. When Annette is a senior, she finally discovers that Kim and Ma live in dire poverty. Though she's hurt and feels betrayed, she's mostly upset that Kim never asked for help. Annette is instrumental in helping Kim find a new apartment. She also attends Kim's abortion appointment with her and is a pillar of support while Kim decides whether or not she wants to continue her pregnancy.

Annette Quotes in Girl in Translation

The Girl in Translation quotes below are all either spoken by Annette or refer to Annette. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Annette was referring to a girl in our class she didn't like because she said the girl was a know-it-all, which she also wrote down for me. It confused me because wasn't it a good thing to know so much?

Related Characters: Kim (speaker), Annette

Page Number and Citation: 57

Explanation and Analysis:

As Kim and Annette become friends, Kim teaches Annette some Chinese insults, and Annette helps Kim decipher American slang terms. Throughout the novel, these slang terms that puzzle Kim succinctly encapsulate the difficulty she has adjusting to her new home. Slang commonly doesn't rely on a logical use of language and instead, can seem nonsensical and requires cultural context and an understanding of irony to truly grasp. Learning that a “know-it-all” is a negative term for an annoying person is a very unsettling thing for Kim in particular, as she understands that doing well in school—in her understanding, literally knowing Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asp

She asked me what I did after school, and when I answered that I was usually working at the factory, she went home and asked her father about it. The next day, she told me it had been a silly thing to say since kids didn't work in factories in America […] that day, I began to understand that there was a part of my life that should remain hidden.

Related Characters: Kim (speaker), Annette, Mr. Avery

Page Number and Citation: 65

Explanation and Analysis:

When Kim shares with Annette that she works in a factory during her first year of school, Annette is disbelieving. Though this misunderstanding doesn't destroy Kim and Annette's friendship, it does illustrate the extreme distance between them and their lived experiences. Annette, as an upper-middle class white girl, simply has no idea of the injustices that her nonwhite and comparatively poor classmates suffer daily. Further, to her credit, her father is correct in terms of the law; child labor is illegal, though Kim points out at several points that in her experience, those laws only effectively protect white children. Kim's Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ips

"Ah-Kim, if you go too many times to her house, we will have to invite her back to ours one day and then what? Little heart's stem, we already have too many debts we can't repay."

Related Characters: Ma (speaker), Kim , Annette

Page Number and Citation: 73

Explanation and Analysis:

After Kim visits Annette's house for the first time, she spends several weeks begging Ma to let her return. She stops begging when Ma points out that they'd be unable to invite Annette to their apartment to repay Annette's kindness. By refusing to allow Kim to accept Annette's kindness on the grounds of needing to repay a debt, Ma shows that she believes that absolutely every act of kindness can be thought of as a debt. For Annette and Kim, spending time together outside of school is something beneficial to both of them and to their friendship, something that Ma Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita

"Honey, look at me."

I was so startled by the word "honey" that I obeyed. I had heard Mrs. Avery using it for Annette. This was not a word principals used back home.

Related Characters: Mrs. LaGuardia (speaker), Kim , Annette, Mrs. Avery

Page Number and Citation: 98

Explanation and Analysis:

When Kim lands in Mrs. LaGuardia's office for what she believes is her expulsion, she guiltily refuses to look at Mrs. LaGuardia or listen to Mrs. LaGuardia's suggestion that Kim think about private school. The fact that Kim is so extremely startled by Mrs. LaGuardia calling her "honey" makes it clear that even though Kim is beginning to improve in school, she's not yet adjusted culturally to the U.S. and still expects that teachers are her enemies, as they were in Hong Kong. This shows how Kim looks at education as her way out of the factory system, though she Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium

"Annette. Stop it […] This is not some abstract idea in your head. This is my life. If you do something to protest, we could lose our job."

Related Characters: Kim (speaker), Annette, Ma

Page Number and Citation: 185

Explanation and Analysis:

As Kim and Annette begin ninth grade, Annette becomes more attuned to the fact that Kim is hiding things and convinces Kim to tell her about the fact that she works at the factory illegally. By this point, Annette has begun to get political and attend protests, so this is extremely shocking for her. In this way, Kim's insistence that Annette not do anything about the fact that Kim is working illegally illustrates the vast distance between the two girls and the worlds they inhabit. For Annette, child labor is unthinkable and must be stopped; for Kim, working with Ma Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accu

School was my only ticket out and just being in this privileged school wasn't enough; I still needed to win a full scholarship to a prestigious college, and to excel there enough to get a good job.

Related Characters: Kim (speaker), Annette

Page Number and Citation: 206

Explanation and Analysis:

At the beginning of tenth grade, Kim declines to tell Annette how essential it is that she does well in school; Annette is unaware that school is Kim's ticket out of poverty. This suggests too that Kim understands that if she were to remain in Chinatown and at work in factories, she'd never escape, as those jobs never pay enough to allow someone to lift themselves out of poverty. The particular way that Kim phrases this statement suggests that she still feels a great deal of anxiety about whether or not she'll actually be able to pull herself and Ma Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem ac

I was just a poor girl whose main practical skill was bagging skirts faster than normal […] I was good at school but so were many of the other kids, most of whom had been groomed since birth to get into the right college. No matter how well I did in my classes or how well I managed to fake belonging to the cool circle, I knew I was not one of them.

Related Characters: Kim (speaker), Curt, Dr. Weston, Annette

Page Number and Citation: 247

Explanation and Analysis:

When Kim begins the process of applying for Yale, she's gripped with fear that she's not good enough to get accepted because she doesn't have the long familial educational background that many of her classmates do. Kim's sense that she exists separately from her peers is one consequence of being forced to grow up so early and not allowed a childhood. Unlike her peers, Kim has had to fill out tax returns and learn to navigate the world as an adult for years now, something that she doesn't believe will interest anyone at Yale. Her sense that she's different is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi

"I knew you didn't have a lot of money but this is ridiculous. No one in America lives like this."

I stated the obvious. "Actually, they do."

Related Characters: Annette (speaker), Kim (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 251

Explanation and Analysis:

When Annette finally comes over to Kim's apartment unannounced, she's furious to discover that Kim lives in such dire poverty. Her insistence that nobody in America lives in such poverty is indicative of her own comfortable life. This illustrates how Annette's privilege and specifically, the fact that she was allowed to be a child, protects her from these hard truths and even had the potential to keep her from ever finding out about them. Though this is a difficult moment for Annette and Kim, it does help them deepen their friendship now that Annette is aware of some of the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Und

"Does it have heat?"

She looked startled. "Do you mean central heating?"

"Yes, does it have radiators that work?"

"Of course it does. I mean, don't worry, the heat works great."

Related Characters: Kim (speaker), Mrs. Avery (speaker), Annette, Dr. Weston

Page Number and Citation: 254

Explanation and Analysis:

During Kim's meeting about an apartment in Queens with Mrs. Avery, Mrs. Avery is shocked when Kim asks if the apartment has heat and is free of pests. By asking these questions, Kim begins to share some of the depths of her poverty with people who actually have the power to help her. When Mrs. Avery seems somewhat embarrassed by her reaction to Kim's questions, it shows that like Annette, Mrs. Avery had no idea the kind of poverty that Kim and Ma are living in. It's unthinkable to her that someone would live in such horrible conditions, especially since Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque err

Annette Character Timeline in Girl in Translation

The timeline below shows where the character Annette appears in Girl in Translation. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Independence and Coming of Age Theme Icon

...find the school. He points her to a desk next to a chubby white girl (Annette) and Kim promptly spills the contents of her pencil case in her nervousness. Annette helps... (full context)

...Kim can't understand his intent (a pop quiz on capital cities), so she looks at Annette's sheet for a clue. Mr. Bogart snatches Kim's paper away, calls her a cheater, and... (full context)

...Kim has no idea why everyone laughed and returns to her seat, burning with shame. Annette whispers to Kim that it's called an “eraser” in the U.S., and she pushes one... (full context)

...slightly different and so Mr. Bogart takes off points. After the eraser incident, Kim and Annette become friends. Annette draws rude drawings of Mr. Bogart that Kim doesn't fully grasp but... (full context)

Family, Choices, and Sacrifice Theme Icon

Kim begins to look forward to school because of the heat and because of Annette. Annette wears braces, which is a new concept for Kim, and brings cold snacks to... (full context)

...kids, as they all get free hot lunch. However, Kim has no friends aside from Annette, and she doesn't fit in at all. Her clothing is homemade, and Ma keeps her... (full context)

...wonderful Tyrone is, which embarrasses Tyrone to no end. Kim secretly leaves Tyrone candy when Annette gives her some. (full context)

...Kim believes she was happy to finally take Kim's spot as the best student. With Annette, Kim revels in how kind she is: she gives Kim whatever she has, whether it's... (full context)

Mr. Bogart assigns a diorama depicting conflict resolution skills. Annette and Kim decide to work together, and Ma allows Kim to go to Annette's house... (full context)

...Kim to the housekeeper, whom Kim greets with a handshake. The housekeeper makes Kim and Annette a snack of yellow cheese on Ritz crackers and finally, Annette leads Kim to her... (full context)

...forbids Kim from going over again. Ma insists that they wouldn't be able to invite Annette to their apartment to repay the debt. (full context)

As Christmas approaches, Kim agonizes over what to get Annette for a gift. Ma isn't sure what they should buy for a white girl, but... (full context)

...tells Ma that they only get report cards once per year. She also discovers that Annette will be attending a private school called Harrison Prep next year, and she wonders what... (full context)

...think she knows karate, so he challenges her to a fight after school. Kim and Annette are terrified. Annette insists they need to tell an adult, but Kim resists—she's more afraid... (full context)

...apply to a private school. Kim is surprised; she thinks Mrs. LaGuardia believes she's like Annette, with a housekeeper and wealth to afford private school. Kim tries to pretend this is... (full context)

In class the next week, Kim mentions her interview to Annette. Annette wants to know if Kim thinks she passed the admissions test, which she insists... (full context)

...even agrees to buy Kim one. Kim writes the same thing in everyone's books but Annette and Tyrone's; she writes in Annette's that they're best friends and in Tyrone's, she wishes... (full context)

...morning of Kim's graduation ceremony. Kim wishes she could make Ma proud as she watches Annette and Tyrone win all the academic awards. Mrs. LaGuardia stands to speak. Kim is barely... (full context)

Annette finds Kim and hugs her, excited they'll both be going to Harrison. Mr. and Mrs.... (full context)

Annette sends Kim postcards from camp over the summer. Kim gives Annette her real address, as... (full context)

...afternoon, Kim is shocked to hear someone ringing their doorbell. She looks outside to see Annette and immediately ducks down and waits for Annette to leave. A few days later, Annette... (full context)

...from trying to keep up with the English instruction by lunchtime, when she finally meets Annette. She's shocked when Annette gets in line with her for hot lunch; Annette explains that... (full context)

Kim and Annette sit together for lunch every day, where Annette talks at length about her classes and... (full context)

Annette also struggles to fit in at Harrison, as she looks funny and is outspoken. Tammy... (full context)

...card into Kim's locker apologizing, but avoids Kim after that. Kim doesn't tell Ma or Annette about what happened, especially since she's still embarrassed that she thought Tammy would pass her... (full context)

One afternoon, Annette convinces Kim to come with her to a movie. Kim makes up an excuse for... (full context)

For the summer, Annette goes to camp upstate and Kim returns full-time to the factory. She explains that she... (full context)

Though Kim has several casual friends, Annette remains her only true friend. In ninth grade, Annette begins to "get political." She starts... (full context)

One afternoon, when Annette finds Kim in the library, she asks why Kim is never home in the afternoons.... (full context)

A week before the exam, Annette insists on taking Kim to Macy's to relax. Kim is skeptical that this is even... (full context)

By tenth grade, Kim is one of the best students at her school. One evening, Annette asks Kim on the phone how she manages to do so well, given that she... (full context)

Annette accepts Kim's limitations for the most part. As the year goes on, Annette develops an... (full context)

Annette gets involved in theater in eleventh grade. Mr. Jamali comments on her love of the... (full context)

...man for his passport and papers and when he attempts to intimidate her, she dials Annette's phone number but says to the man that she's calling the police. The man races... (full context)

Kim finds Annette at the theater and tells her about the party. Annette believes that Kim likes Curt,... (full context)

...is made worse by the fact that Kim genuinely likes Vivian. Finally, Kim confides in Annette, who insists that Kim is more in love with the idea of Matt than Matt... (full context)

On the evening of Curt's party, Kim goes to Annette's house. She greets Mrs. Avery warmly and Annette lets Kim borrow a daringly short dress... (full context)

Annette spots a friend from theater, so Kim takes Annette's purse to the bedroom. Kim flips... (full context)

Mr. Jamali casts Annette as the lead in Our Town, and Kim promises to be there on opening night.... (full context)

...studying. She hears a knock at the door and is so surprised she opens it. Annette stands there and looks over Kim's shoulder at the apartment, taking in Kim's faux fur... (full context)

Kim explains that she'll be able to get out of the apartment soon as Annette looks around. She shrieks when she notices Kim's iced-over soy sauce and a roach drinking... (full context)

...time wandering around Chinatown, where she learns that Matt knows everyone. One afternoon, Kim invites Annette to join them in a Chinese café. Annette is insistent on getting a real Chinese... (full context)

...tries to kiss her, but she redirects his lips to her cheek. Later, Kim tells Annette. Annette insists that Kim tell Matt, but Kim explains that if he knew, he'd want... (full context)

Kim explains that both Ma and Annette had gone with her to her abortion appointment. They sat outside as a tech performed... (full context)

Annette Character Analysis

Annette Quotes in Girl in Translation

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Annette Character Timeline in Girl in Translation