The_Awakening

A mother’s gift remembered Jamaica Kincaid a native of Antiqua grew up in a society, as did her mother before her, dominated by male demands and where females were consigned to meet them. Now that the girl, is a woman on her own, the lessons, words, and love her mother has gifted her with come to mind in a new and stronger light than she first heard as a girl. Kincaid writes of those lessons in her short story “Girl” and her mother’s heartfelt attempt to deliver her daughter from the life, of injustice and male domination, she and the many women before her had known. There were always the everyday things she would need to know no matter if caring for herself, or a family; simple yet practical things. The mother sees value in her daughter understanding how life is easier when you plan ahead and do not let chores pile up in telling her “wash the white clothes on Monday . . . wash color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the closeline . . .”. The girl is reminded to take care of herself also and not to “walk bearheaded in the hot sun . . . soak your little cloths right after you take them off . . . when buying cotton to make yourself a nice blouse, be sure that it doesn’t have gum on it . . . because that way it won’t hold up well after a wash . . .” (Acosta. p. 351-352). The girl’s mother knows there are those social behaviors that no matter how easy it would be to throw them out of the window, there is a value in remembering them. How others see you can open or close many doors in life. The girl recalls when her mother told her “. . . always eat your food in such a way that it won’t turn someone else’s stomach . . . on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like [a] slut . . . don’t eat fruits on the street—flies will follow you . . .” and be careful about the company you keep warning her to “. . . you mustn’t speak to wharf-rat boys . . .” There was always the reminder to recollect where you are and for God sake behave accordingly as her mother retold her “. . . don’t sing benna in Sunday school . . .” The girl reassuring her mother she is listening and understands responds “. . . I don’t sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday school . . .” (Acosta. p. 351 - 352). Then there were the times when her mother spoke to her as a woman, spoke to her about equality, and justice. Times when she imparted the struggles she had faced in her own life. Her mother knows that not everything in life will be as sweet as pumpkin fritters; no matter how well she prepares. The girl recalls the seriousness in mother’s voice as she told her to not openly invite problems, others intentions may not be a good willed as your own showing by teaching her “. . . how to behave in the presence of men who don’t know you very well . . .” She speaks from her heart as she warns her daughter to not become the property of a man simply because you get pregnant and tells her how to “. . . make a good medicine to throw away a child before it even becomes a child. . .” Even to this day the young girl still recalls the time her mother told her of her own story and insisted she never forget that there is more than one man in life, don’t settle for the first one that comes along by saying “. . . this is how to catch a fish; this is how to throw back a fish you don’t like. . .” In the girl’s heart she knows her mother was trying to tell her to be a strong woman - fight for who you are when she told her “. . . how to bully a man. . .”(Acosta. p. 352). There were the genital lessons when her mother would smile as she spoke. Telling how she would find the right man someday warning her not to let pride chase love away. In the end, should you need to, it is alright to admit that you have made a mistake – we all have “. . . if they don’t work don’t feel too bad about giving up. . .” The young daughter always remembered the laughter as her mother showed “. . . how to spit up in the air . . .” and with a knowing twinkle in her eye say but “. . . move quick so that it doesn’t fall on you. . . “(Acosta. p. 352). Elaine Richardson who would later change her name due to family pressures to Jamaica Kincaid moved from her island home to the international metropolis of New York City to work for the wealthy caring for their children is exposed to a culture that must have left her overwhelmed, lost, and in absolute culture shock. She finds the strength to become the person her mother saw in her as she remembers the lessons, words, and love her mother has gifted her. Reference Acosta, David L. Pike and Ana. Literature: A World of Writing Stories, Poems, Plays, and Essays VitalSource eBook for Education Management Corporation. Pearson Learning Solutions. .