Throughout the story the mother gives instructions for how to wash clothes, when to wash clothes, how to walk, how to cook, etc. It sounds like the mother is a very concerned and controlling parent. Then the mother says, "On Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming" (Mays 120). It seems like the mother is belittling and badgering the daughter. The daughter does not even get a word in and when she does the mother does not notice, at all. Maybe the mother is talking fast and not giving any time for the daughter to speak.
Based on the narration, the mother seems to be an experienced individual because she knows how to hold a household together and also knows how to carry herself in the public's eyes. She is able to pass on what she knows onto her daughter. Considering the past of the author, Jamaica Kincaid, the daughter in the story is likely to be a "village raised child", like the saying says "It takes a village to raise a child." That means that the parents of the child are the main caretakers and discipliners, but the people in the "village" or community also know the child well enough to tell them right from wrong. .
Also based on the narration, the belligerence can be sensed through the mother's words. The mother often says "Like the slut you are so bent on becoming." (120). And even though we do not know anything about the daughter, she seems to be very well mannered. So, this could mean that the mother is accusing the daughter of slutish activities based on her actions, when she was her daughter's age. Towards the end of the story, the mother says, "This is how to make a good medicine to throw away a child before it even becomes a child" ((Mays 120). This could mean that the mother has aborted a child, in her past, because she was being a slut. Parents often say, "I was your age once.
The words, "Made in England" allowed Jamaica Kincaid to realize England's possession over her life. ... Kincaid begins the passage seeming very admirable toward England. ... Kincaid uses flashback when recalling the lists of endless English meals she has eaten. ... "Made in England" haunts Jamaica Kincaid in every aspect of her life. ...
Feminist writer, Jamaica Kincaid, puts the mother-daughter relationship under a microscope in her prose poem "Girl"-- she examines the societal pressure, deep rooted prejudice, and double standard, which force a mother to cut the corners of her daughter's being as she shapes her way into womanhood. ... Jamaica Kincaid examines the sources of such conflicts in the coming of age which stem from societal/environmental pressures to prejudice and double standard in her prose poem, "Girl." ...
Jamaica Kincaid's short story, "Girl" is unique in that while it clearly lacks a precise plot, it delivers a message as clearly as more traditionally crafted pieces of fiction. ... Through strict limitations of style, tone, and point of view, Jamaica Kincaid delivers a somber story of the relationship between a mother and a daughter and the relationship of women and the society that engulfs them. ... The style in which the story is written furthers its critical, no-nonsense approach to a woman's place in the world. ... The relationship between the mother and the daughter is also r...
Jamaica Kincaid as the "Girl" Jamaica Kincaid's short story "Girl" is simply a story that involves a mother and daughter in a seemingly one-way conversation. ... Kincaid must have been thinking about her own experience as a young girl. The mother in Kincaid's story seems to be very cautious and protective of her daughter. ... This relates to the type of relationship Kincaid and her mother had. During her high school and college years, Kincaid broke all contact with her mother. ...
Since Jamaica Kincaid's story "Girl" was written in 1978, the role that women play in society has profoundly changed. ... Kincaid takes advantage of the use of single sentences when portraying the mother giving her daughter advice. ... In one instance she tells her daughter, "this is how a man bullies you; this is how to love a man" (Kincaid). ... As the story progresses, however, she begins to limit her by telling her things that she cannot do: "don't sing benna in Sunday school; you mustn't speak to wharf-rat boys, not even to give directions; don...
Jamaica Kincaid wrote "Girl" in 1978. "Girl" is a story about a young female, a girl, getting advice from an older woman in a long single sentence narrative. ... This fact further amplifies the power and truth of Kincaid's story. ...
England, to Jamaica Kincaid, was a land that inspired awe, mystery, and had a sense of wonder surrounding it. ... When Kincaid's teacher puts a map up for the class to see, Kincaid views it as "a very special jewel." ... Kincaid goes on to discuss the items which were manufactured in England. ... In this paragraph, Kincaid's anti-English sentiment begins to be seen. ... Kincaid's anti-English sentiment rises in the third and fourth paragraphs. ...
In Jamaica Kincaid's essay "On Seeing England for the First Time," Kincaid expresses her viewpoint on England's authority over her homeland, the Caribbean island of Antigua. Kincaid has strong resentment towards England. ... Kincaid, however views the map of England differently. ... Kincaid tells us that England was what everybody longed to be. ... For Kincaid, England and its customs bring about negative emotions. ...
The Caribbean and Polynesia Reading the compendium with colonial texts (Jamaica Kincaid and Haunani Trask) did two things to me: It gave me knowledge of something I didn't know anything about before, and it made me feel uneasy. Jamaica Kincaid's text A small place takes the reader on a trip to her native country. ... This is also where Kincaid lets the reader begin, but soon she lays out small hints that this paradise certainly has its snakes, and that I, the reader, is a potential one. ... It's amazing how Kincaid manages to enhance all the things that her country is ...
