A take on the ending

Lots of people have been posting questions about why Annie had to die, what it meant etc.

You need to strip away all the modern readings of this story and understand it is immersed in the method of great Greek Tragedy. Quite simply, Annie HAD to die because she turned her back (figuratively) on her child. There is no doubt she deeply loved Tara but she strived for something more which led to her betrayal of her good friend (Amy Sedaris) by cheating with her husband. Near the end, by tossing away the photos of her husband and child (in photos that were taken together), she set herself up to the gods for sacrifice. When she falls asleep, she does so not just because she is tired but because she is finally TOO tired to care for the child and, metaphorically, be the mother to everyone in her life. Like Medea in Greek literature, she destroys the thing which came from her and in doing so, destroys too much of herself to survive. When her husband washes her feet (both literally and biblically), she finally realizes that her only salvation lies in her own crucifixion.