“Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid: Feminist Perspective

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The Entire Story as one Scene
Conclusions
Reference

Introduction

“Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid is a short story written and published in 2003. It is a very unique story in that it avoids the classic structure of the typical story. It does not involve the description of a setting, nor are there any characters directly present. The reader does not know any names, or the context. All that can be gleaned from the tale is through inference, which gives plenty of room for interpretation. This essay will explore the narrative of “Girl” from a feminist perspective of the identity of a woman versus gender norms and conformity.

The Entire Story as one Scene

One of the unique features of this short story is that it is, in essence, a single scene. One way it could be interpreted is as a list of “lessons” given by a mother to their young daughter, trying to teach her the skills she needs to function in the society of that time (Kincaid, 2003). This is demonstrated by the various pieces of advice that seem to be very mundane, yet define the skill-set of an average woman prior to the workplace revolution that happened in 1974, when women were allowed, at large, to seek employment and no longer be dependent on their husbands for financial support. Some of the examples include advice on how to wash clothes, cook, clean, and behave towards men. These well-natured lessons are mixed together with very crude warnings of “avoiding behaving like a slut” (Kincaid, 2003, p. 320). The purpose of this advice, thus, appears to be to create a marriage-worthy young lady, which is seen as the unspoken goal to success in life.

At the same time, text shows how both the mother and the daughter are rebelling against the perceived status quo, in subtle ways. The fact that societal norms control their behavior is opposed, though differently from one generation to another. The daughter’s rebellion is more obvious in the way she behaves, speaks, and dresses up. Otherwise, the recollection of her mother’s words would not have featured her being called “a slut” on so many occasions (Kincaid, 2003, p. 321). This is distressing for the older woman, who tries to teach her of the more subtle ways to rebel. These include how to spit in a way that it does not fall on oneself (when spitting was not considered a lady-like thing to do), lessons on how to bully a man, and lessons on how to make medicine that would result in the death of a fetus, avoiding an unwanted pregnancy (Kincaid, 2003). Given the perceived context of the story, when women are in a position of subjugation, oppressed by society, laws, and religion alike, these lessons are, indeed, rebellious and revolutionary.

Conclusions

The real narrative of the story is that of a silent rebellion, which had been popular in the first half of the 20^th century, and even before. If nowadays women are more or less free to express their disdain with cultural and gender oppression, it was not always the case. The story’s subtlety reminds me of the play “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell, which too features the same themes, though in a much lengthier and traditional story. In it, Mrs. Wright kills her husband for abuse and the murder of her beloved pet canary. Two women accompanying the men inspecting the case help hide the evidence out of sympathy. In “Girl,” though the stakes are not quite as high, the older woman seeks to teach her daughter how to be herself while giving the image of a traditional, well-behaved young lady. The objective remains the same – to get what one wants, while avoiding punishments reserved by the society for not conforming.

Reference

Kincaid, J. (2003). Girl. Boston/St. Martin’s Publishing.

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“Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid: Feminist Perspective

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