Jamaica Kincaid's Girl

Words: 474

Pages: 2

Open Document

Jamaica Kincaid is a female author and writer known for her works which draw from her experiences of growing up in the West Indies. In 1978, she released a story in an issue of The New Yorker which she titled Girl. Girl is a single sentence story in which a mother tells her daughter the tips and tricks of becoming a proper woman. The author starts every point within the story with “this is how” then proceeds to tell how to achieve a task. Each task is focused upon the goal of forming a good and respectable woman. The story “how to” list on how to become a “useful” woman. Despite the story’s blaring sexism and stereotypical gender roles, I would consider it opposing to the patriarch system but instead a passive feminist work. The brilliancy of the story …show more content…
Though the content of the sentences might be lackful, they show that their is a human behind the daughter. Her mother is constantly questioning her daughter's promiscuity calling her a “sult” and the mother labors over getting her daughter to turn out “right”. Even the context of the story suggests that this has been a struggle for the mother for some time. I think this is evidence toward the daughters aspiration for freedom, but she cannot pursue her dream because of the oppressive gender-roles she had been born into. This was the author subtle hint towards the true meaning of the story from what I believe.
I believe that Jamaica Kincaid is a creative writer, and Girl uses excessive gender based roles to overwhelm the reader and to prove that the “Girl” wants to be freed from her inferior status. The main reason for forming this conclusion is from the author writing. The first begin how she only focuses on the jobs and expectations of women, and the second being the daughter comments. Girl is a wonderful written and and powerful story that, if you look at from the right angle, can have a lot more

Jamaica Kincaid's Girl

The short story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid only contains two characters; a mother and a daughter. Moreover, the short story “Girl” is Jamaica Kincaid’s first published work. Also, the story focuses on the female gender, African American race, the importance of how others recognize you, and how you identify yourself. The story represents an everyday African American female expectation of how to behave, cook, clean, and other domestic performances demand by their mothers, so they do not ruin their reputation…

Words 560 - Pages 3

Jamaica Kincaid's GIRL

In the short story GIRL, Jamaica Kincaid insists that the mother see the daughter as a depiction of herself, and fears all that has happen to her may curse her daughter as well. It is clear that the mother is reverting back to her past and is now displacing her past errors onto her daughter vicariously. In this short story the mother dispenses, what is considered, helpful advice that is essential for daily living and what would help her daughter survive as a woman. Although the mother is giving…

Words 592 - Pages 3

Short Story Girl: An Analysis Of Jamaica Kincaid's Girl

Jamaica Kincaid's story "Girl" allows readers a short look into the strict, demanding manner in which parents raised their children. Through Kincaid's careful structuring of "Girl," readers experience the commanding tone of the story. The relationship between the mother and the girl also stinks of empowerment and distance, as best seen through the girl's short speech in the story. Most important, "Girl" shows readers how particular the lessons taught to the children were. Jamaica Kincaid shows…

Words 1748 - Pages 7

Girl Jamaica Kincaid Analysis

explaining a few of them through “Girl”and “Annie John” by Jamaica Kincaid. I feel the mother wasn’t right for trying to conform her daughter to Western culture just so she could be “normal”. Social values held to be important in human society are effectively portrayed in literature. Through literary works, individuals/writers are…

Words 841 - Pages 4

Girl: Jamaica Kincaid and Daughter Advice Essay

Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” is about a mother giving her daughter advice. She tells the girl about cooking, cleaning, men, and life in general. She calls girl a “slut” rather freely through the whole story. It’s almost as if she sees her daughter becoming a slut, rather than the woman she intends her to be. “Girl” is something different then I have ever read before. It’s almost as if you’re reading a set of instructions with very few responses of the girl who is receiving them. “Girl” not only reads…

Words 428 - Pages 2

Jamcaid Girl Analysis

At birth, boys and girls do have physiological and behavioral differences that range from different sexual organs to potty training time. After puberty, these differences are even more apparent, but these gender characteristics should not determine or limit the quality of a female’s life. Even after various feminist movements, there are still people who would love to confine women to the kitchen just because they were born girls. In society today, where women fight for equal gender rights and opportunities…

Words 833 - Pages 4

Analysis Of Girl By Jamaica Kincaid

Summary: In the short story of” Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, she portrays the life of how little girls are supposed to act in their community. Throughout the entire story it is her mom giving her orders on what she is supposed to and not supposed to do. Analysis: In the short story of “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, she uses her structure to show the importance of how things are done in their day and time. The whole story is multiple statements of her mother, one huge sentence with the repetition of “don’t…

Words 128 - Pages 1

America Kincaid Girl Essay

“Boys will be boys”, “Girls cook, clean, and take care of the house” and “Boys are rough and tough”. All of these sayings are controversial in the generation we are in now. Women trying to become more equal with men in the world, and then men speaking up about mental health, not just for women. There are many scenarios that people can think about that have happened in their lives, but one reading I felt I connected best with this prompt was Kincaid's poem, “Girl”. In the text "Girl" it is about a mother…

Words 937 - Pages 4

First-person Narrative and Story Essay

Kelsey Gray Gray 1 English 1302-188 Spring 2014 Paper 2 Final Draft Rules of Becoming a Proper Lady In “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid a mother gives a list of expectations of how her daughter should act. The passage is a long sentence of what her daughter should do in different situations. The advice is meant to keep her daughter from becoming a slut, varies randomly…

Words 528 - Pages 3

The Voice In Jonn Beard's Maybe It Happened

JoAnn Beard’s “Maybe It Happened” had an incredibly strong voice, I found that the point she was trying to make wasn’t very clear. The superficial story of the girl peeing herself and then falling down and getting a pebble stuck in her knee works only to obscure the true purpose of the piece which is revealed most evidently by the line “…girls pretended they were mothers while mothers pretended something else entirely.” This sentence along with the repetition in each paragraph work to create a remarkable…

Words 797 - Pages 4