Jamaica Kincaid Girl Analysis

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Pages: 4

Girl by Jamaica Kincaid, is a story about a mother who tells her daughter what to do and

how to act . I will be arguing the characterization of the girl and the mother in the story

and what the mother expects out of the girl.

The girl in the story wants to be a normal teenager, hang out with her friends, and do

fun things. Her mother on the other hand, wants her to start preparing meals, wash the

clothes, and not to talk to boys, along with many other things. Numerous times within the

story the mother believes that her daughter wants to become a slut so the mother is

continuously trying to show her how to do things so she doesn't become a slut.

It seems as if the girl doesn’t really have a choice
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Instead, she chooses to do what she is told to do.

The reasoning for her mother to ask so much of her, might be because of where they live.

They have to do more because they are not as fortunate as others, therefore the girl

has to step up and take on more responsibilities then other girls her age.

In the story the mother is the only one speaking the majority of the time so we have no

idea what the girl’s behaviour is, or how she is reacting to what she is being told to do. On

the other hand the mother’s character seems to be very strict and old fashion, not letting

her daughter do anything but chores. This may be the way that the mother was brought up

or the mother wants a better life for her daughter therefore she is telling her daughter to do

all of these chores that she did as a kid, because she thinks that’s what children are

supposed to do, and so they know how to run a household and become a proper lady.

Chores are ok every once in awhile, but everyday washing the clothes, preparing

meals, and doing other things prevent you from going out in society and having a life,

experiencing new things, and meeting new people. After being stuck at home for a
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Different cultures have different religions on how to run a household, and when

to run it. The same thing goes with marriages in some cultures you have to be married by

fifteen and it’s usually an arranged marriage. Some might say that the mother is rude or

nasty for calling her daughter a slut because she believes that her daughter is going to end

up going down the wrong path and not being able to run a household.

The last sentence in the story is a conversation between the mother and

daughter and it says “ Always squeeze the bread to make sure it’s fresh; but what if the

baker won’t let me feel the bread?; you mean to say that after all you are really going to be

the kind of women who the baker won’t let near the bread?” (Kincaid 1983 page 271)

This suggest that the daughter is worried that she will not be able to live up to her mother’s

expectations.

Overall the mother’s character is the type of personality that it’s her way or no

way and the daughter just does what she is told to do because she doesn’t want her mom to

get mad at her and call her a slut. Personally, they should of wrote more of the story so