In this final line of the story, the mother interprets the baker’s potential refusal to allow the daughter to touch the bread as a sign that the daughter has become a social outcast, undoubtedly a slut. Kincaid uses the words “feel” and “squeeze” to turn the act of buying bread into a metaphor for sexuality, and the baker’s refusal is therefore a sexual rebuke. In response to her daughter’s innocent question, the mother seems to explode in anger at her, as if one impertinent question demonstrates the futility of advising a stubborn and undisciplined girl bent on becoming a slut. The daughter’s question and lack of an answer from the mother also highlight the inability of the mother and daughter to communicate on any level, much less a meaningful
