MovieChat Forums > The Miracle Worker (1962) Discussion > Annie sure had a culture shock in the So...

Annie sure had a culture shock in the South...

posted 13 years ago by Coryraisa
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Annie must have had a terrible culture shock when she arrived in the South, so alien from her home. I think she had to strain to understand that southern accent that people in Alabama speak (and the Kellers, I think had trouble understanding poor Annie since she seemed so alien to them also).

I've read that Annie felt awkward, homesick, and uncomfortable in the South and people in the small town of Tuscumbia looked at her funny and snickered at her accent and mannerisms. I also read that she hated the awful heat down there and sometimes was nauseaus because of it.

I kind of laugh when Annie is shocked and insulted when Arthur insists on carrying her down the ladder; that certainly was a weird, not to mention sexist custom that sure took Annie aback.

I read that Annie was glad and relieved to return home to the North where she felt much more comfortable. I was happy for her also; I'm glad she didn't stay in the South permanently; that would have made her too miserable.

[–] Florida2 12 years ago

Yes, the post-war South must have been a sight - and not a good one at times...

The deep South of 1885 included all of the Jim Crow terrors, including Sunday hangings (here in South Florida, the last of those happened in 1937), and as the story cleary showed those who worked for the Captain were likely freed slaves who worked their entire lives for one family, from one generation to another (the adults and children all working as hired hands, as the story also showed), so no doubt a severe culture shock for Annie Sullivan...