Commentary on Lorna Sage’s Bad Blood Essay

Jamaica Kincaid’s story of “Girl,” is a mind blowing experience between mother and daughter. “This Essay presents a plot summary of Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” as well as providing historical, societal, religious, scientific and biographical context for the short story. Kincaid’s unusual land difficult to classify piece of short fiction consists of a brief monologue by an Antiguan mother to her adolescent daughter” (Kim Bencel, 2) This is a story, not in verse or order that will remind you of days gone by. The mother is hell- bent on making a respectful young lady.

Comparatively, Mrs. Johnson’s timid, maladjusted, young daughter, Maggie, is like her mother. Mama describes Maggie as a “lame animal”. After being left with an ugly scare from a childhood fire, she lives at home under the protection of Mama, untouched by society. Her solitude and lack of education have left Maggie adversely shy, but Mama is plain-spoken about Maggie’s problems. “Sometimes Maggie reads to me. She stumbles along good naturedly but can’t see well. She knows she is not bright. Like good looks and money, quickness passes her by” (Walker, 521). Maggie represents purity and innocence and Mama has sympathy for her daughter. Maggie is much like her mother and traditions of their heritage have been passed down to Maggie through Mama such as learning how to quilt.

All three of whom are presented as posing a collection of traits and behaviors that cause Jim a great amount of frustration. Which after being analyzed in regards to the issue’s historical context reveals several instances in which the established gender roles were to some extent largely being ignored, or in the case of Jim’s mother and father are largely reversed. A creative decision that presents a family dynamic in almost direct opposition with the ideals of the era, such as those that describe the proper livelihood for a women being one of a supportive wife and loving mother. Or as it came to be known as the notion of the “eternal female”. In regards to Judy’s position on the spectrum of conventional deviance in gender her character is portrayed as exhibiting more behaviors socially specified, all of which draw a notable amount of influence from the concept of “normal femininity”. However, in the same vein as Jim and the other students Judy does conversely demonstrate a degree of rebellious disregard in her behavior. Leading such a phenomenon of recklessness to be attributed to an entire generation by their

During the punishment of Hester, the countrywomen with “...stone on broad shoulders and well-developed busts... “(48), and “...a boldness and rotundity of speech…”(Hawthorne 48) stand under the platform and gossip about Hester, such as the woman like  “... a hard-featured dame of fifty…”(49), “...a third autumnal matron…”(49), “...the ugliest as well as the most pitiless of these self-constituted judges.”(49). Those old countrywomen observe how Hester harms public behoof, how to put a hot iron on Hester’s forehead, or Hester brings shame and ought to die. Most of the readers of the twenty-first century think how ironing it is that the countrywomen laugh at Hester who contains unique temperament. Nevertheless, the Puritan culture natures those countrywomen who are in the crowd since their births and Bible is the only source of truth in their lives. Environment and culture cause illiteracy of the women in the town. The development of stereotypes leads the ladies to have stubborn but reasonable boundaries of good or sin in their minds which are unusual than people in today’s world. Other than the town people, Pearl also has interesting reactions towards

In this story, the characters cope with good and evil differently. Mrs. Hopewell’s perennial optimism is balanced by her daughter’s self-chosen misery. Mrs. Hopewell doesn’t understand her daughter and is insensitive to Hulga’s bitterness at her maiming. Hulga sees herself a liberating people from their illusions, believing she has none of her own. Hulga has a wooden leg, which is her most valuable possession because it is her mark of her difference. She prizes this because she considers herself more intellectual than all of the “good country people” around her, especially her mother, their neighbors and finally Manley Pointer, a Bible salesman. Mrs. Freeman sees through the illusions of the Hopewell household. She knows her place in the economy of the household and hers if the final comment in the story.

We first meet Maggie. Maggie is not so bright, shy girl, scarred for life in fire which burned their house about ten years ago, who still lives with her mother. She is ashamed of the way she looks, hiding in shadows. Ever since the fire she walks with “chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle” (240). She envy her sister Dee, smart, bright, educated, young women who likes nice thinks. Distant maybe even ashamed of her family, never brings friends for visit. Dee’s mother doesn’t even know if the men she come to visit with is her friend or husband.

Through the eyes of the young narrator Jim Burden, childhood innocence unfolds for him and and his friends. He enjoys playing with young Bohemian immigrant, Antonia. after both of their arrivals to the Nebraska prairie, enjoying their time together as equals. Even though she shows signs of great intelligence, all Jim can see is a beautiful. Who in time, will make a great housewive. Despite his young age, he is unaware how blind he is to society’s influence: “Antonia loved to help grandmother I the kitchen and to learn about cooking and housekeeping. She would stand beside her, watching her every movement. We were willing to believe that Mrs. Shimerda was a good housewife in her own country, but she managed poorly under new conditions” (Cather, Page 18). Her interest in cooking could be completely genuine, and in modern times, could be seen as more of a passion rather than a ‘womanly duty’. Despite this fact, Jim only sees what he has been taught, that it’s only natural for a women to be

Mrs. Hopewell is a hard working widow who assumes the male role by being the primary care-giver and supporter to her special needs daughter. Hulga, despite her independence streak is determined to make a life on her own; she gives almost a reversed protest against her mother despite the care she receives. Her education does not lead her to live a more successful life, she fails to live up to her mother’s example and expectation that Hulga’s sisters, Glynese and Carramae, have already successfully copied. O’Connor writes that “Glynese, a redhead, was eighteen and had many admirers; Carramae, a blonde, was only fifteen but

helps show Edna a carefree spirit she is lacking. Her reactions to these characters outline

When Geraldine was a girl, about 12 years old, her mother (who she considered as a world’s cynics) advised her to read the novel, Little Women and take it with a grain salt. The Little Women has reached a great boom and it is still famous;

In Anne of Green Gables there is an intense scene where the bibliophile understands the true nature of Mrs. Lynd when she insults Anne by calling her skinny, red hair, and extremely ugly.” When Anne, a poor orphaned girl, heard Rachel Lynd’s harmful comments she lashed out and was in the depth of despair of days.

My Mortal Enemy was written by Willa Cather in the early 1900s. She wrote this novella after dealing with S.S. and Hattie McClure. She actually worked for McClure at one time, and this is when she experienced their lives the most. After learning all about their lives, she decided to write about them. In substitution of the McClures she used the Henshawes.

From a young age she watches Sissy manipulate men using her good looks and her mom survive through the struggle of having two kids and husband who did not support. And Evy continue her life when her husband deemed himself a failure and ran away. Francie had the gift of distinguishing the difference when someone was speaking out of ignorance or was purposely rude. Her teacher was ignorant about the reality of the world and the meaning of Francie’s stories but the women who called Johanna names and threw rocks at her knew exactly what they were saying and did not regret it. Furthermore the men in Francie’s life do not pit at each other, characters like Johnny, Uncle Whitman, Steve, Sergeant McShane, Mr. Mcgarrity, while most of them were not strong or perfect characters, and while“ They might hate each other they stuck together against the world and any woman who would ensnare of them” (238) Francie’s observations and personal experiences made such a strong impression for herself and an even stronger one on the reader. She develops into a more intelligent girl and she grows to realize that she shouldn’t be influenced by society as she upset at herself for being embarrassed to smile back when Johanna smiled at her. She grows to understand she must make her own judgments and not listen to others blindly and she promises herself. “’As long as I live I will never have a woman for a friend or ever trust any woman again”

Little Charley, “timidly obedient to the summons,” is hurled insults at by Judy, who snaps at her “like a very sharp old beldame” and tells her she is “more trouble than you’re worth, by half” (261). Judy has a “systematic manner” of flying at Charley and “pouncing on her, with or without pretence” in a manner that suggests “an accomplishment in the art of girl-driving, seldom reached by the oldest practitioners” (263). On the other hand, Esther “was never tired” of seeing Charley standing before her “with her youthful face and figure, and her steady manner, and her childish exultation breaking through it now and then in the pleasantest way” (379). When Esther comes down with the same sickness she nursed Charley through, she confesses the secret of her illness to Charley and in doing so puts all her “great trust” in her (390). While Judy is cruel and heartless to Charley, Esther loves and trusts her as much as she loved and trusted her

Sometimes her mom would make her help with cutting onions or peeling peaches and as soon as she was done she would run out the door when her mom’s back was turned. She viewed the chores inside the house was endless and depressing and would much rather work outside. She hears her mother stating that she can’t wait till the son, Laird gets bigger so he can do the chores outside and the girl can do the chorus inside with her. The mother states, “I just get my back turned and she runs off. It’s not like I had a girl in the family at all.” At this point the girl feels like she can’t trust her mother, she knows her mother loved her yet she feels like her mom is always plotting against her to keep her from working with her father. She didn’t expect her father to really listen to what her mother was saying, Laird, in her mind wouldn’t be able to do the job as well as she does. Looking at her father’s bloody apron she reminds that reader that the foxes were feed horse meat, other farmers whose horses will get old or injured would call her father and him and henry would go kill it and butchered it. However, if they already had a lot of meat they would keep them for a while. The winter she turned eleven they had two horses, Flora and Mack. It was this winter where she heard her mother go on more about her helping in the house. She states that she no longer feels safe because the people around her who thought the same way. She stated, “The word girl had formerly seemed to