Week 15 Analysis: Kincaid
Literary Analysis of Kincaid (1144-1146)
The speaker of "Girl" (1978), is a mother giving instructions to her daughter on the rules and rite of womanhood. The setting in the story takes place in Antigua. The mother is an interesting character because the mother believes she is the only one who can save her daughter from living a promiscuous life. She thinks her daughter is headed down this path because of the way she sits and walks. She talks about keeping the house clean, enduring a cruel husband, and aborting unwanted pregnancies (1145). During the lecture, she stresses how important it is for young woman to maintain a sense of sexual propriety. The frustration of the mother is taken out on the daughter but still thinks her wisdom will not make a difference on her daughter because her daughter is already headed down a promiscuous life. The mother believes that a woman's reputation determines the quality of her life in the community. She wants her daughter to realize that she isn't a boy and must behave properly in order to earn respect. I believe the main themes of "Girl" are based on femininity and sexuality. Femininity plays a role in this story because of the cleaning of the house and keeping everything kept. Sexuality plays a role in "Girl" by a girl always being in danger of being a "slut." The mother says this to her daughter that if she doesn't behave properly, she will look like a slut (1145). These influences inform the author's work by her instructions illustrating that community plays a large role in women's lives and that social standing takes on a huge weight in order to have respect. You must respect yourself and act "lady like" if you want to be respected in your community.
The speaker of "Girl" (1978), is a mother giving instructions to her daughter on the rules and rite of womanhood. The setting in the story takes place in Antigua. The mother is an interesting character because the mother believes she is the only one who can save her daughter from living a promiscuous life. She thinks her daughter is headed down this path because of the way she sits and walks. She talks about keeping the house clean, enduring a cruel husband, and aborting unwanted pregnancies (1145). During the lecture, she stresses how important it is for young woman to maintain a sense of sexual propriety. The frustration of the mother is taken out on the daughter but still thinks her wisdom will not make a difference on her daughter because her daughter is already headed down a promiscuous life. The mother believes that a woman's reputation determines the quality of her life in the community. She wants her daughter to realize that she isn't a boy and must behave properly in order to earn respect. I believe the main themes of "Girl" are based on femininity and sexuality. Femininity plays a role in this story because of the cleaning of the house and keeping everything kept. Sexuality plays a role in "Girl" by a girl always being in danger of being a "slut." The mother says this to her daughter that if she doesn't behave properly, she will look like a slut (1145). These influences inform the author's work by her instructions illustrating that community plays a large role in women's lives and that social standing takes on a huge weight in order to have respect. You must respect yourself and act "lady like" if you want to be respected in your community.
Comments
Post a Comment