Jamaica_Kincaid’s_“Girl”__A_Uniquely_Crafted_Look_At_A_Woman

Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl”: A Uniquely Crafted Look At A Woman’s Place Jamaica Kincaid’s short story, “Girl” is unique in that while it clearly lacks a precise plot, it delivers a message as clearly as more traditionally crafted pieces of fiction. The story borders on being a monologue on the part of the mother as she dictates to her daughter her expected roles in life. There is no room for discussion as the mother rambles incessantly of the things expected of her daughter, most likely because the mother believes there is no room for discussion as to a woman’s place in society. Through strict limitations of style, tone, and point of view, Jamaica Kincaid delivers a somber story of the relationship between a mother and a daughter and the relationship of women and the society that engulfs them. It may be true that a clear plot is necessary for the development of a story and the development of the characters involved in the story. But sometimes, as evidenced in “Girl”, a plot itself is expendable. The mother is the speaker for the majority of the story, with the daughter interrupting for a brief two sentences. The mother’s laundry list of expectations and instructions stops only to allow the story to end. In this story, mother, daughter, kincaid, room, title, plot, ideology, characters, women, relationship, developed, between, given, world, through, style, society, much, makes, individuality, fact, deviation, without, two, strict, sometimes, simple, revealed, reaches, rather, lacks, lack, itself, instructions