Short summary and analysis of "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid, BBS II Business Communication, Visions.
Girl
-Jamaica
Kincaid
Summary and
interpretation:
“Girl” consists of
a single sentence of advice a mother imparts to her daughter, only twice
interrupted by the girl to ask a question or defend herself. She intends the
advice to both help her daughter and scold her at the same time. Kincaid uses
semicolons to separate the admonishments and words of wisdom but often repeats
herself, especially to warn her daughter against becoming a “slut.” Besides
these repetitions, “Girl” doesn’t move forward chronologically: there is no
beginning, middle, or end to the stream.
The mother
dispenses much practical and helpful advice that will help her daughter keep a
house of her own someday. She tells her daughter how to do such household
chores as laundry, sewing, ironing, cooking, setting the table, sweeping, and
washing. The mother also tells the girl how to do other things she’ll need to
know about, including how to make herbal medicines and catch a fish. These
words of wisdom suggest that the women live in a poor, rural setting, where
passing on such advice is essential for daily living.
Alongside
practical advice, the mother also instructs her daughter on how to live a
fulfilling life. She offers sympathy, such as when she talks about the
relationships her daughter will one day have with men, warning that men and
women sometimes “bully” each other. She also says that there are many kinds of
relationships and some never work out. The mother also tells the girl how to
behave in different situations, including how to talk with people she doesn’t
like.
Often, however,
the mother’s advice seems bitter and castigating, out of fear that her daughter
is already well on her way to becoming a “slut.” She tells the girl, for
example, not to squat while playing marbles, not to sing any Antiguan folk
songs in Sunday school, and to always walk like a lady. The girl periodically
interjects to protest her innocence.
Theme:
The
Danger of Female Sexuality
Even though the daughter doesn’t seem to have yet reached adolescence, the mother worries that her current behavior, if continued, will lead to a life of promiscuity. The mother believes that a woman’s reputation or respectability determines the quality of her life in the community. Sexuality, therefore, must be carefully guarded and even concealed to maintain a respectable front. Consequently, the mother links many peripheral objects and tasks to the taboo topic of sexuality, such as squeezing bread before buying it, and much of her advice centers on how to uphold respectability. She scolds her daughter for the way she walks, the way she plays marbles, and how she relates to other people. The mother’s constant emphasis on this theme shows how much she wants her daughter to realize that she is “not a boy” and that she needs to act in a way that will win her respect from the community.
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