Jamaica Kincaid Girl Essay

The life of a woman; sow, wash, and iron the clothes, make dinner, walk, eat, and talk properly in order not to turn away men, behave in public, and put on a smile even if it feels like you are pretending, so you can be everything society deems to be acceptable. This stereotype is demonstrated perfectly in the short story “Girl,” written by Jamaica Kincaid in the 1970s. In a never-ending sentence, almost like a poem, Jamaica Kincaid describes a mother instructing her daughter on how to be seen as a proper and respected woman in society by teaching her how to do household chores, make herbal medicines, fish, as well as practical advice like how to behave in certain situations and how not to be seen as a “slut,” which her mom fears she has already

This helps illuminate the stereotype that woman's voices are muted in society and that they are not to express themselves or adventure outside of their designated role. During the extensive list of life advice, the daughter only speaks out twice, showing her lack of input and doubt on the subject. After a list of about 12 guidelines, from how to wash clothes to how to walk and eat in order to be seen as modest, the daughter finally speaks out. In the midst of this list, the mother tells the daughter to not sing benna in Sunday school, a type of music with a call-and-response format that is filled with bawdy lyrics and scandalous gossip (Jayasree). This is when the audience finally hears the daughter’s voice when she replies, “but I don’t sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday school,” trying to defend herself to her mother that she doesn’t participate in these activities (Kincaid). Jamaica Kincaid’s choice to use benna as the type of music not to sing in public politicizes how women should not participate in social critique, for it would be seen as unacceptable in society. After the extensive, compiled list of advice from her mother on how to be a respectable lady in an Antiguan society, the mother

The mother, in the midst of all of the other demands, enforces that the daughter should behave a certain way “in the presence of men who don’t know [her] very well,” so that they don’t recognize her as “the slut [the mother has] warned [her] against becoming (Kincaid).” This, as well as the many other guidelines given to ensure the daughter’s reputation in society, shows the stereotypes of the time, that women should act respectfully no matter the case, dress modestly, and stick to the domestic sphere of the home in order to be seen as “innocent” and not a slut. An analysis was done on the portrayal of women in print advertisements during the 1970s and the results highlighted the same stereotypes demonstrated in “Girl.” The representation of women in mass media didn’t change until feminists criticized their actions for not representing the full range of female activities. However, the comparison done in the analysis of 1958 ads with those of the 1970s showed that the same standards of expected behavior remained the stereotype for women of the decade (Belkaoui and Belkaoui). This analysis and the mother's specific advice in “Girl” both describe the continuous stereotypes of this time of how women were to present themselves a certain way and stick to their specific role