In honor of International Women's Day...

In honor of International Women's Day, I have decided to post my literary analysis of Girl, a short story written by Jamaica Kincaid. I wrote this piece for my literary analysis class in school. The page numbers I reference are from our class textbook.

Kincaid is a Caribbean women of color who regularly contributed to the "Talk of the Town" column in The New Yorker. In 1978, she published her first fictional piece Girl. To read more about Jamaica Kincaid click here or here. To read Girl click here.

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Jamaica Kincaid’s Girl holds a powerful feminist message that still rings true today. This short story is about a young girl being told lessons from an older, female adult figure that readers can infer is her mother. Despite being written in the late 1970s, Kincaid’s message is still relevant today. In today’s society and in Kincaid’s short story, young girls are unfairly forced to grow up sooner than their male counterparts. Instead of playing, as a child should, they must learn to perform basic domestic duties, such as cooking and cleaning. Moreover, seemingly harmless actions by females are sexualized; yet, at the same time, young girls and women are called derogatory names to belittle them and suppress their sexuality. Kincaid develops these points throughout the dialogue, while simultaneously showing how outlandish these ideas are.

To begin with, Kincaid shows that girls and boys are forced grow up differently. While the mother is talking, she talks about boys several times. Nearly three-fourths if the way through the mother’s seemingly endless rant, she tells the young girl “don’t squat down to play marbles- you are not a boy” (356). This is a very clear example of how young boys and young girls are treated differently. While the boys are playing, the girls are forced to take on stereotypical domestic work. Not only does this show the difference between the two genders, but it also shows that girls are forced to grow up earlier than their male counterparts. Thus, Kincaid shows this gender divide perfectly in her writing.

Furthermore, Kincaid’s Girl addresses female sexuality in two ways. As aforementioned, the mother talks about boys and men several times throughout her monologue. The first time boys are commented on is when the speaker says “you mustn’t speak to wharf-rat boys, not even to give directions” (355). Essentially, this is the mother’s way of saying stay away from and don’t talk to bad boys. Obviously this paints the boys negatively, but the mother’s warning is likely related to how others would perceive her daughter if she conversed with such boys. A common theme and phrase iterated by the mother throughout the story is that the girl is “bent on become” a slut (355-356). Talking to a boy is not an excuse to sexualize a girl or call her a slut.  To go further, this derogatory word is meant to demean the young girl for being sexual and suppress her sexuality. Many of the mother’s lessons are to prevent her from becoming that slut or to make the daughter appear as though she is not a slut. Yet, at the same time, she is taught “how to love a man” (356). This is another example of how boys and girls are treated differently that transcends the story. Therefore, Girl touches on how girls are both hypersexualize and sexually suppressed in society.

In addition, the organization of the short story was done intentionally by Kincaid to show how alogical the mother’s teachings are. Throughout the story, the main speaker gives lessons chaotically. Instead of telling the girl everything about cooking, the mother jumps from one point to the next. By organizing the message this way, Kincaid does two things. First, it makes the story more realistic because it is written almost like a train of thought. The mother brings up one point, which reminds her of another, which reminds her of another, and so forth. The second thing this does is show readers how random the lessons or the rules are that the girl in the story and girls in real life have to learn or to follow. Essentially, there is no real rhyme or reason why the lessons are being taught to the girl at this point in time or why they’re being taught to her at all. For example, the mom opens the story telling the girl “Wash the white clothes on Monday and… wash the color clothes on Tuesday…” (355). There is no logic to these instructions and the mother does not offer any explanation as to why the clothes must be washed on Monday and Tuesday or why whites must be on Monday and color clothes on Tuesday. These are just arbitrary instructions, which are then followed by more arbitrary instructions on a different topic.

Similarly, the entire story is one, long, run on sentence. It is broken in two spots by interruptions from the girl, but that never ends the flow of lessons. In the end, it doesn’t conclude with a period, but with this question: “you mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of women who the baker won’t let near the bread?” (356). By never concluding a sentence, Kincaid shows how these lessons or instructions pile on top of each other and create an unending stream of lessons for girls, the one in the story and those in real life, to learn and to follow. Likewise, ending it with this demeaning question instead of just ending it with a lesson and a period, not only proves the aforementioned point about sexuality, but also leads readers to believe that there is likely more lessons and rules to follow in the future. If the short story had ended with a period after a lesson, readers could assume that that was the end or the final lesson. However, like the sentences, the lesson are never truly concluded and the question at the end shows that more lessons will likely follow.

Moreover, the point of view and lack of descriptive characters was done purposely by Kincaid to allow any reader to better feel or understand what it is like to be a young girl growing up. This story challenges narration because it does not have a solid beginning, middle, or end. Likewise, the story itself can be read as a recollection or a memory, rather than an event that is taking place at this specific moment in time, especially since it lacks any quotation makes. As a result, the first person narration can also be read as a second person point of view. This perspective in this story truly allows readers to step into the shoes of the girl. By doing this, readers can experience what it feels like to be the girl while they’re reading the story. This is important because it helps readers better understand Kincaid’s message. Another way Kincaid helps readers step into the shoes of her characters is by not making them very descriptive. Kincaid’s characters have no physical descriptions or many defining characteristics. The most notable characteristic is that both characters are likely Caribbean. This inference can be made based on the food the mother teaches her to prepare and the “benna” music (355-356). Kincaid’s characters also lack proper names. This is important and yet another way she makes her story more relatable. The lack of defining features and names allows these two characters to be virtually anyone, including the reader. This, in turn, gives readers a better understanding of how growing up as a girl feels and Kincaid’s message about that unfairness.

In conclusion, Girl is Jamaica Kincaid’s statement on how girls are treated growing up. Primarily, Kincaid shows that young girls and young boys are treated differently growing up. Girl focuses specifically on how girls are unfairly forced to take on domestic roles and grow up sooner than their male counterparts. Furthermore, Girl not only focuses on the hypersexuality of girls, but it also touches on how girls are called derogatory names that are meant to belittle them and stifle sexuality. Moreover, Kincaid uses specific literary devices to show readers that the lessons are arbitrary and unending. Lastly, by not giving her characters names or lengthy descriptions Kincaid makes her story and characters relatable to nearly everyone. Despite being written nearly forty years ago, Kincaid’s story still rings true today. As a society, we can learn from these messages and begin to fix the problems of hypersexuality and treat all kids equally.