Identity Crisis

"Being pregnant was proof that some man thought you were pretty sometime, and the more babies she got, the more she knew she was worth something" (Allison 230-31).
Anney expresses her disgust when her aunt makes this statement. But in actuality, she was trying to attain some sense of self worth, in some way or another.

In Bastard out of Carolina , Anney's search of self-fulfillment takes her on a twelve-year journey trying to find social acceptance. The purpose of this journey is to try, in a sense, to shield Bone from future hurt and pain caused by the stigma that is attached to the word "bastarg", but she neglects to see it in the present. Anney's persistance in attempting to remove the word from Bone's birth certificate, in my opinion, is a result of her own selfishness. Although, it generally means a child that it born out of wedlock, the word "bastard" reflects more on the mother than it does the child. Therefore, I feel that Bone being referred to as "bastard" is more of a reflection on Anney than her. During that time, girls/women (who engaged in premarital sex and had a child out of wedlock, especially at an an early age) was considered to be, as my grandmother would say, "fast" or "hot in the pants". The boys/men of course stood blameless. I have heard many stories about girls in those days being "sent up the road" when they became pregnant because of the shame and embarrassment. The poor child usually ends up being referred to as their "brother" or "sister". I think Anney felt as if this was how the world was going to perceive her.

I do not question Anney's love for Bone, but her neglect in trying to teach Bone (which Raylene attempts to do) that other's do not define your identity. In her attempt to "make everything right"(ie. correcting the birth certificate, marrying Glen) Anney has introduced Bone to far more hurt than she could have possibly ever known.