Antiguans In A Small Place By Jamaica Kincaid

In A Small Place Jamaica Kincaid stresses the limitations that Antiguans are subjected to because they have never experienced another way of living. In Appendix A Kincaid’s repetitive language emphasizes key points in her writing. One of the elements that is highlighted in Appendix A, and throughout the novel, is time. Kincaid constructs the idea that Antiguans are unnafected by time through depicting their lives and society on a daily basis and throughout the years. In Appendix A, more specifically Kincaid says, “The people in a small place cannot gives themselves and exact account, a complete account of themselves. The people of a small place cannot give an exact account, a complete account of events…” (Kincaid 53). The natives of Antigua, a small island, are stagnant in their lives and cannot see the world outside the perspective of life they have always lived in.

She is speaking up about time in A Small Place in order to become a voice for the Antiguans who are not knowledgeable enough to know any different about how they are living their lives or how they could be living their lives. Kincaid, unlike most, has a more understanding view of Antigua because has left the island and learned about other places besides it. She has the advantage of being able to see Antigua from another perspective unlike Antiguans who have never left. Kincaid is cognizant about how time and history play a role is shaping Antigua’s society which is why she reiterates time as a main focus throughout her novel. Jamaica Kincaid cares for Antigua and wants the people of her country to be strong, and intelligent enough to take time into account when reviewing their nation’s past, present, and