Jamaica Kincaid

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Recommended: Gender roles in society and culture

Jamaica Kincaid’s ‘Girl’ and Marge Piercy’s ‘Breaking Out’ both deal with the topic of gender, but both of them do so in a very different manner. Gender is more of a social and cultural concept, rather than a biological one, and it is these social and cultural differences that both the writers try to comprehend. The comments on gender made by both the writers are truly reflective of what constitutes gender roles and the positioning of a certain gender in their context, but are remarkably different from each other.
‘Girl’ tries to explain the story of a young girl, who is yet to enter her adolescence, being given a series of advice by her mother regarding areas ranging from what constitutes appropriate behaviour in a social setting, to how to handle aspects of domesticity and her sexuality appropriately. Meanwhile, ‘Breaking Out’ refers to the story of a young girl, almost the same age as the one in ‘Girl’, who tries to explain her first rebuttal against the patriarchal system in place, or her first attempt at ‘breaking out’ of the oppressive patriarchal system. …show more content…

This represents the plight of most women in the society who accept whatever is expected out of them and comply without questioning or fighting for justice and equality. Whereas in ‘Breaking Out’, even though the young girl has been subjected to the practices of an oppressive patriarchal society and is expected to follow them, she still firmly believes that she is made for much more and will fight against the injustice in every little way that she can. This represents some of the few brave women in the society who are courageous enough to fight for their rights and make an equal place for themselves in the

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    In “Girl,” Jamaica Kincaid’s use of repetitive syntax and intense diction help to underscore the harsh confines within which women are expected to exist. The entire essay is told from the point of view of a mother lecturing her daughter about how to be a proper lady. The speaker shifts seamlessly between domestic chores—”This is how you sweep a house”—and larger lessons: “This is how you smile to someone you don’t like too much; this is how you smile to someone you don’t like at all…” (Kincaid 1). The way in which the speaker bombards the girl overwhelms the reader, too. Every aspect of her life is managed, to the point where all of the lessons she receives throughout her girlhood blur together as one run-on sentence.

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  • Analysis Of Girl By Jamaica Kincaid Girl

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    The mother cautions her daughter endlessly, emphasising on how much she wants her to realize her role in the society by acting like a woman in order to be respected by the community and the world at large. Thus, Jamaica Kincaid’s work argues that traditional gender roles are learned because at a young age children are taught how to act masculine and feminine. According to Carol Baileys article on Performance and the Gendered Body in Jamaica Kincaid’s ‘Girl’ “The poem is a fictional representation of the double-edged tendencies which involve child-rearing practices in many Caribbean societies: as the mother provides guidelines for living, the moments of care are constantly weakened by the severity evident in what the mother is actually saying and the fact that her daughter is lectured with little room for discussion” (Carol Bailey 106). The instructions in the poem “Girl” reveal an effective performance of gender roles assigned to women in the Caribbean societies, which shows significant acts in domestic, social, and other spheres.

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    Girl by Jamaica Kincaid is a piece about a mother speaking to her very young daughter who is entering adolescence, advising her very specifically how to behave. Kincaid’s use of tone, repetition, intensity, and perspective help shape the main idea that being a female is nearly impossible and that women have to act a certain way with everything they do, even if they lack integrity with these actions.

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    This paper argued that the mother in Jamaica Kincaid’s short story “Girl” is loving towards her daughter because the mother is taking time to teaching her daughter how to be a woman, and because she wants to protect her in the future from society’s judgment. Kincaid showed that the mother cared and loved her daughter. The mother wants her daughter to know how to run a home and how to keep her life in order to societies standards. Alongside practical advice, the mother instructs her daughter on how to live a fulfilling

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    In the short story, “Girl,” the narrator describes certain tasks a woman should be responsible for based on the narrator’s culture, time period, and social standing. This story also reflects the coming of age of this girl, her transition into a lady, and shows the age gap between the mother and the daughter. The mother has certain beliefs that she is trying to pass to her daughter for her well-being, but the daughter is confused by this regimented life style. The author, Jamaica Kincaid, uses various tones to show a second person point of view and repetition to demonstrate what these responsibilities felt like, how she had to behave based on her social standing, and how to follow traditional customs.

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