Girl By Jamaica Kincaid Essay

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As humans, we often try to blend in with society in various ways. We try to blend in by changing the way we talk, act, or dress. In the short story, “Girl,” author Jamaica Kincaid uses the mother’s past experiences to guide her daughter in the changed world. She also uses repression of being a woman in her time, to change her daughter’s views on society and their culture. Kincaid uses the way a woman should dress, do their duties, and behave as themes to convey that women should respect themselves.

First, Kincaid uses the mother in the short story to show her daughter how to dress. She states, “This is how to hem a dress when you see the hem coming down and so to prevent yourself from looking like a slut.” (180) In this quote, the mother wants her daughter to dress appropriately, so she was not to make it seem like she is enticing men. She wants her daughter to be aware of the way she dresses so she won’t look as if she is resorting to prostitution. In all her years of living, the mother knows how a woman should dress, so she wants the daughter to carry herself respectably. …show more content…

She states, “ Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry.” (180) In this quote, the mother tells her all these things so that she will get a feel for what a woman should do. The mother shows her daughter wants her daughter to grow up with an understanding of a woman’s role. Kincaid presents the role of women to show how the mother wants her daughter to live as an adult

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