“Girl” Jamaica Kincaid Essay

The short story of Girl by Jamaica Kincaid is near a sustain and her relationship with her female child. It is a harsh one sided conversation between the narrator and her overprotect, with the have doing whole the talking. The story gives a rich description of what her convey expects from her in all aspects of her vitality, from chores, to how she plays, to what she sings in church. From each line you leave the outdoor stage of how her bugger off sees the world, what is proper in her eyes and her expectations for her young woman. Throughout the story the symbolisation gives deeper meaner to every verse and shows deeper sharpness to their re alikenship.One of the primary symbols is in the first line is the color white. The use of the color white is foreshadowing the nicety for the whole short story. White represents pure, virgin, and clean. The spawn is reprimanding her child for the way she walks on sunshines try to walk kindred a lady and non comparable the slut you so bent on becoming (380). The narrators mother al find outy has concerns of her girlfriend becoming sexually promiscuous and tarnishing her reputation. The mothers tone is harsh throughout the whole short story. She is demanding her daughter does these things as she dictates. This is non a sweet instant between a mother and her daughter. The conversation is laced with insults and fears. The mother in like manner warns her daughter about eating on the street dont eat fruit on the street-flies bequeath follow you (380). Flies argon seen as fathom feeders, dirty and irritating and when flies atomic number 18 surrounding an animal it is seen as filthy. She is expressing her daughter that she will be seen as dirty if her fruits be out for everyone to see.This has to do with existence covered and not permitting everyone watch at you. This supports her idea that her daughter will become promiscuous and not honourable. some other symbol example is the importance on cloth ing. The mother cautions when buy cotton to make yourself a nice blouse, be sealed that it doesnt have gum on it, because that way it wont pull in up after a wash (380). The mothers accent on clothing highlights her view of howyou soak is a reflection of you as a person. Its gives insight to your char executeer and personality that you take pride in how you look. Clothing is used cover your body, when you are covered you are seen as wonderable in her community. In the conversation this is how to hem a dress when you see the hem coming and so to prevent yourself from looking like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming (380)This is the second time that her mother accuses her of turning in a slut. The hemming of the dress is no longer a lesson in how to sew, plainly the act itself has tuned into being seen as respectable and that reinforces her mothers view. In addition, Benna is also a symbol in the text. The word benna is one of the cultural symbols she uses. It gives ins ight to where the story is taking place. It also gives the land uporser the first response to her mother who has been talking the whole time. I dont sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday School (Kincaid 380). why did the narrator feel compelled to finally speak up for herself in this moment? What did her mother mean by accusing her of this that the narrator feel she had to symbolize herself? From this short excoriate the reader can assume that something that has changed culturally. If the daughter is implying that notification Calypso music is frowned upon and considered taboo that means singing it in Sunday schooltime would be a grave disrespect. The other aspect of the sentence is the use of Sunday school, the introduction of Christianity has added to the mothers fears of her daughter being respectable.The mother is also going through changes culturally and that has influence her concerns for her daughter. Another example of cultural symbolism is the this how you set a table for teatime (381). This line in the story shows a computer address to Britain through tea. The reader can accept that what has been going on culturally is in reference to Britain. There are foreigners in her earth who could be judging the country as they interact with the native-borns. Her constant fear of her daughter becoming a slut is stemming from what the mother now views as proper behavior. They are some symbols that come from food. The use of food in this short story has a small number of beds. There is the superficial layer that acts as a cultural symbol in her use of her native dishes in the text. It also adds depth to the short story and shows the reader where the narrator and her mother are living this is how to make incision pudding, this is how to make doukona, this is how to make pepper troop (381).The readerhas only seen the mother in the fierce, menacing tone. Upon further digest of the symbolism, it shows that her mother doesnt want her to forget her cultural heritage among all the changes going on currently in her life with Sunday school and the British being in her country. She wants her daughter to learn how to determine these native dishes as a way of passing down her legacy. Another layer is the mother finds cooking to being part of being a respectable women. Cooking is something the mother puts value on. She believes that a woman who can cook is valuable to their society. Over the course of the text she come back to instructing on how to cook. The reader is also able to see it in the beginning, middle and end of the short story. It is not just being able to make these dishes, scarce the whole act itself cook pumpkin fritters in very torrid sweet oil (380).The mother believes that cooking strengths the bond her daughter will have with her family and with the community. The last symbol in food is the when the mother tell her how to she is to reduce the bread always squeeze bread to make sure its fresh but what if the baker wont let me feel the bread? you mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker wont let near the bread (381) This goes back to the overall stem turn of the entire story. Her mother wants her be the kind of lady that the baker lets squeeze the bread. The word squeeze is suggestive in a way that the mother doesnt want her daughter to allow anyone to squeeze her. It also reinforces that her daughter should not become a slut or she will be not be a functioning member of society. Sluts and wharf-rat boys are not part of their society her mother warns you mustnt speak to wharf-rat boys (380).They are outcast, if she becomes a slut the baker will not allow her to touch the bread and she will be an outcast like the wharf-rat boys. The final symbol is housework the importance of it is seen throughout the short story. The narrators mother makes more references toward housework, Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the rock and roll heap wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry (380). She sees housework as a way of keeping invade so her daughter doesnt become promiscuous. It also establishes her role as women taking care of her house. In their culture this seen a respectable and earns them respect from their community.This short story looks like a simple stern welt from a mother to daughter. When you look at each sentence in-depth, you see mother hasfears that are based not in anger but in reality due to all the changes going on in their culture. These fears are expressed sometimes harshly by calling daughter a slut, and her tone throughout the story. At the end it is just a mother being concerned with her daughter and wanting the best life possible for. The symbolism gives more insight than what the reader can read just on the surface. It shows a whole different character for the mother and sheds light as to why the mother has these expectations and fears. What people fear sh apes them and their relationships plant CitedKincaid, Jamica. Literature A Portable Anthology. 3rd ed. Boston, MA Bedford St Martins, 2013.