Essay on Short Story Analysis of Girl by Jamaica Kincaid

Short story analysis of Girl by Jamaica Kincaid Have you ever wished that someone had given you a guide on how live the right way? Jamaica Kincaid does just that in her short story, Girl. The narrative is presented as a set of life instructions to a girl by her mother to live properly in Antigua in the 1980’s. While the setting of the story is not expressly stated by the author in the narrative, the reader is able to understand the culture for which Girl was written. Jamaica Kincaid seems to be the passive narrator, receiving the instructions from her mother on how to live in their present social setting. The mother figure focuses on two main categories in her guidance, social manners and domesticity. First, guidance is given for a†¦show more content†¦Written in 1983, Kincaid narrates the thoughts and moral beliefs of the time by her mother. In Girl, Kincaid uses repetition of the term â€Å"slut† to emphasize that her mother did not want her to develop a bad moral reputation (Kincaid 118-119). Later in the narration though are her mother’s thoughts on abortion, â€Å"this is how to make a good medicine to throw away a child before it even becomes a child† (Kincaid 119). It shows that while the mother instructed her in moral principles, she also understood that things happen to a young woman. The practical nature of this instruction seems to indicate more modern thought while still living in a society of traditions. Another hint of the time period is the mention of divorce and how to live after it, â€Å"this is how you love a man†¦and if they don’t work out, don’t feel bad about giving up† (Kincaid 119). This could indicate that divorce is an accepted practice in the more modern society that Jamaica Kincaid wrote Girl in. The location of the story plays a large role in understanding the character’s interactions. The story opens with instructions on cleaning clothes upon a â€Å"stone heap† (Kincaid 118). In 1983 America, most households would have already had washing machines or at least a wash board and bucket rather than the older form of washing clothes at the river and utilizing stones. The nextShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Short Story Girl By Jamaica Kincaid844 Words   |  4 PagesIn the short story â€Å"Girl† by Jamaica Kincaid, a mother gives her daughter strict and organized set of verbal guidelines that teach her how to be a proper woman in that society. These guidelines focus primarily on how to act and behave as a wife. However, these guidelines and rules set out for her daughter’s future have an underlying sense of stigma and judgement. I believe the way the cultural tradition in the depicted society treats women is very different compared to how men ar e treated. TheRead MoreSummary Of Girl By Jamaica Kincaid1204 Words   |  5 PagesAn Analysis of Character Representation in Girl Throughout history women have been an oppressed group of individuals and therefore have had to find ways to satisfy society. Women have at times needed to follow particular guidelines in order to maintain standing in society. Jamaica Kincaid’s in her book â€Å"Girl† conveys a mother and daughter to represent particular social issues during post colonialism. In Girl the daughter serves as a representation of what the mother believes to be society’s idealRead MoreLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 Pagesnavigation, search In literary criticism, a Bildungsroman (German pronunciation: [ˈbÉ ªldÊŠÅ‹s.Ê oËÅ'maË n]; German: novel of formation, education, culture),[a] novel of formation, novel of education,[2] or coming-of-age story (though it may also be known as a subset of the coming-of-age story) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood (coming of age),[3] in which character change is extremely important.[4][5] Contents [hide] 1