The Intended Impact of the Advice in Girl
Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” is a powerful piece that captures a stream of advice and admonitions from a mother to her daughter. The narrative style is distinctive, with a near absence of traditional dialogue and the mother’s long, uninterrupted list of directives that shape the entire text. The advice aims to produce a girl who fits into a woman’s expected norms and societal roles—a domesticated, respectable, and capable woman who knows her place and duties within a patriarchal context.
From the outset, the mother’s instructions are aimed at preventing the girl from becoming “the slut you are so bent on becoming” (Kincaid). The advice covers a range of topics from household chores such as washing clothes, cooking, and cleaning to social behavior, including how to behave in front of men, how to smile, and how not to speak to wharf-rat boys. The mother’s words reflect a traditional and conservative view of women’s roles, emphasizing domestic skills, chastity, and subservience as key virtues.
The girl is expected to embody the quintessential feminine ideals of their culture, which are heavily laced with domesticity and moral propriety. The mother’s advice is about teaching practical skills and instilling a sense of duty, shame, and propriety in the girl. The mother’s tone is authoritarian and assumes that the girl will inevitably stray without this guidance, revealing a deep anxiety about the girl’s future and reputation.
The Girl’s Responses and Her Relationship with the Speaker
The girl’s two responses are brief but telling. The first is a question about how to make bread, suggesting that the girl is engaged, at least to some extent, with the domestic lessons her mother imparts. The second response is a defensive protest: “But I don’t sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday school.” This interjection hints at a disconnect between the mother’s perceptions and the girl’s reality. It suggests that the girl feels misunderstood or wrongly accused and may already be chafing under the weight of her mother’s expectations.
These responses reveal a complex relationship between the girl and the speaker. On one hand, there is a desire to learn and perhaps a yearning for approval. Conversely, there’s a sense of frustration and a need for self-expression, indicating that the girl may not fully accept or fit into the mold her mother is trying to cast her into.
Work Cited
Kincaid, Jamaica. Girl. 1991.