Girl And How It Feels To Be Colored Me By Zora Neale Hurston

Society is often seen to have different biases or perspectives on topics such as the role and perception of women. The short story, “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, consists primarily of a catalog of commands and instructions, the purpose of which is to make sure that the mother’s daughter is constantly in check and not getting into any trouble. Jamaica Kincaid utilizes a wide range of techniques such as symbolism and diction in order to showcase the theme of how the depiction of women rely mainly on how they present themselves in the public and how they are so easily described as impure or filthy.

In Jamaica Kincaid’s short story “Girl,” the narration of a mother lecturing her daughter with sharp, commanding diction and unusual syntax, both affect the evolution of a scornful tone, that her daughter’s behavior will eventually lead her to a life of promiscuity that will affect the way people perceive her and respect her within her social circle. As well as the fact that it emphasizes expectations for young women to conform to a certain feminine ideal of domesticity as a social norm during this time and the danger of female sexuality.

“Girl” is a short story in which the author, Jamaica Kincaid, unofficially presents the stereotypes of girls in the mid 1900s. Kincaid includes two major characters in the story “Girl”, they are the mother and the girl. Although the daughter only asks two questions in this story, she is the major character. The mother feels like her daughter is going in the wrong direction and not making the best decisions in her life. The whole story is basically the mother telling her daughter what affects her decisions will have in the future. The mother believes that because her daughter isn’t sitting, talking, cleaning, walking or singing correctly it will lead her to a path of destruction. “Girl” is a reflection of female sexuality, the power of family, and how family can help overcome future dangers.

In both of the Short stories i've read by Jamaica Kincaid and Judith Ortiz Cofer the author uses a young girl, both of those females were given a series of instructions on how they should live their life, in my opinion both characters in the story were being stereotyped on how a girl should live. In the story “Girl” by Kincaid she illustrates a Caribbean Mother giving advice to her young daughter, in the story she describes to her the manner on how to act like a Female, how to do household work and cook correctly. The mother actions intends to help her daughter, After reading the story by Jamaica Kincaid I believe that that the mother feels her daughter needs to act more like a female and not the slut she plans on becoming. The author uses a chastising tone which was illustrated throughout the whole story when she scolds her daughter. In “The myth of the Latin woman: I just met a girl named Maria” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, She primarily talks about stereotyping and how the American culture was different from her home country Puerto Rico , the narrator also expresses how she lived as a girl growing up. Jamaica Kincaid is an Antiguan-American novelist, essayist, gardener, and gardening writer.

In fear of her daughter’s recent actions, the mother begins to think that her daughter is already on her way to becoming a “slut”. For example, she tells the young girl not to squat while playing marbles and to always walk like a lady. She constantly reminds her daughter that she is “not a boy” in order to fix the way she walks and other improper actions that are believed to win her respect from the community. She scolds her daughter for the way she has started to act because she believes there are only two types of women: those who are respected and “sluts”, and she forbids her daughter to be considered a “slut”. The mother believes that a women’s reputation and the amount of respect she receives from others, defines her life in the public.

It can be argued that in Jamaica Kincaid’s short story “Girl” that the mother is loving towards her daughter because the mother is teaching her daughter how to be a woman, and because she wants to protect her in the future from society’s judgment.

In her story, Girl, Jamaica Kincaid points out many stereotypical roles of the average woman in the Caribbean. The roles that these defining roles that the women take on might seem rather explicit. They seem rather sexist and do not give women the power to depict what she can and cannot do herself. Nevertheless, Kincaid’s story gives these women the empowerment and freedom that so rightfully deserve. “this is how you iron your father’s khaki pants so that they don’t have a crease; this is how you grow okra-far from the house…this is how you sweep a corner; this is how you sweep a whole house; this is how you sweep a yard” (43).

There is an absurdly vast amount of pressure imposed on young girls today to look a certain way in society’s eyes. They are taught, since their young and innocuous days, that they must take certain actions as well as behave certain ways to conform to society’s ideals. Most girls accept these ideals and live the rest of their lives submitting to them; however, some oppose the idea and completely refrain from this way of living. A young girl in Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” is being told what is expected of her as a woman. Her mother figure engraves instructions on how to tackle household chores while instructing her daughter how to behave around specific people especially men, The idea of having a man look at her daughter as upright is honorable to her. The young girl in the story hardly ever has an opportunity to explain herself or oppose what is being forced upon her because her mother strictly and continuously says imperatives such as, “This is how to behave in the presence of men who don’t know you very well, and this way they won’t recognize immediately the slut I have worked you against becoming.”(320)

The tendency to be free of societal norms relating to sexualities and mannerism is perceived as mandatory to a woman, but not to a man. The reality of women in the Caribbean is perfectly illustrated in the novel, setting a clear example of how Afro-Caribbean young girls like myself are subjected to restrictions and expectations in our own societies. Respect and acceptability are merely based on our mannerism and sexual

Since the beginning of mankind, oppression has been a major obstacle for women to overcome. In “Girl,” Jamaica Kincaid illustrates through written word the struggle women go through due to the expectations set for them. While there is female oppression of different forms, Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” is a resemblance of the oppression she felt during her childhood on the small and remote island-nation of Antigua. In its most basic form, “Girl” vividly paints a literary picture depicting the way an “old-fashioned” wife is supposed to be in the eyes of her male patriarch.

With the initial read, Jamaica Kincaid’s essay, “Girl”, appears deceptively simple. Yet repeat readings show that under the surface, it is filled with cultural implications. Kincaid mines her memories and experiences of growing up in post-colonial Antigua in the 1960’s, to speak to outdated expectations. Her writing shows the influence of living on an island populated by people of African descent, living in a culture influenced by British rule (SparkNotes Editor). Relying on her past experiences, Kincaid inserts themes of domesticity and purity into a conversation between a mother and her daughter to highlight how a woman’s appearance and behavior determines her acceptance and value within a

Because of today’s society, its standards and how we treat young girls and women, mothers want to protect their daughters with a good reputation and want to be appreciated by the men in their lives. In some cases, mothers can be stern on their daughters, because they want to teach them to be a better woman that they once were. Sometimes, mothers have to be considerate when trying to educate their daughters about the real world. In other words, parents help their children make the right decisions, but it is the children’s choice to do what is best for them. In conclusion, “Girl” is a perfect archetype to show that young girls are trained a particular way to become a woman that are mostly skilled in household chores with a non-promiscuous

Jamaica Kincaid’s powerful short story ‘Girl’ is a mother daughter dispute. The mother lists several tips trying to give advice and counsel her daughter. The way the mother expresses her advice I would not consider as motherly, but more as if she was a social critic. I visualize the mother as a representation of the damage that society can do to a person’s mind.

The short story Girl by Jamaica Kincaid, gives us a keen illustration of the relationship between a mother and daughter living in a post-colonial society. Although the Mother’s intention is to pass on helpful advice, we can see where the mother imposes her traditions on her daughter. Also, we can also deduce that the relationship between the two is molded by the expected behavior of women in society. The expected behavior of the girl by society is what subsequently leads the mother to make such forceful demands of her daughter. In this essay, I will focus on the role of women in society, and how tradition affects the relationship between the mother and daughter.

Jamaica Kincaid’s text provides an uncomfortable, one sided discussion between mother and daughter. Portraying the grand rules that a mother sets up for her daughter, which she must obey in order to be accepted in the society. A narrative that connects womanhood in a way a woman must portray herself to the world.