Jamaica Kincaid’s writing often contains societal critique. One reoccurring critique focuses on female gender expectations and gender roles in Antigua. Kincaid portrays these gendered concerns through the mother daughter dynamic. The mother connects to the cultural constraints, and serves as the authoritative voice. The mother’s authority outlines the rules for proper female behavior. Through “Girl,” Annie John, and My Brother, Kincaid portrays steps toward breaking away from gendered Antiguan society. Each piece is a successive step in the daughter’s journey, starting in adolescence, and ending in adulthood. As the title suggests, “Girl” is written from an adolescent female’s standpoint. The mother is the main voice in the piece. She commands
…show more content…
She fears that her daughter is not following proper etiquette. She was not being ladylike, and instead acts dishonorably, which verged on “slut” behavior. After this episode, Annie tries to stand up to her mother. Shortly after their fight, Annie asks for her own trunk. When she gets her own trunk, Annie mentions her mother’s control: “…I became frightened. For I could not be sure whether for the rest of my life I would be able to tell when it was really my mother and when it was really her shadow standing between me and the rest of the world.”(Kincaid, Annie John …show more content…
In the memoir, the reader sees that repeated moments from “Girl” and Annie John were autobiographical. According to Kincaid, an Anglophile mother controlled her home life growing up: “I was always being told I should be something, and then my whole upbringing was something I was not. It was English.” (Cudjoe 400). This Anglicized method toward upbringing manifests in strict gender roles. The piano lessons, Milton, and manners are extensions of this English identity. Especially for a girl, this forced identity focused on maintaining proper
She fears that her daughter is not following proper etiquette. She was not being ladylike, and instead acts dishonorably, which verged on “slut” behavior. After this episode, Annie tries to stand up to her mother. Shortly after their fight, Annie asks for her own trunk. When she gets her own trunk, Annie mentions her mother’s control: “…I became frightened. For I could not be sure whether for the rest of my life I would be able to tell when it was really my mother and when it was really her shadow standing between me and the rest of the world.”(Kincaid, Annie John …show more content…
In the memoir, the reader sees that repeated moments from “Girl” and Annie John were autobiographical. According to Kincaid, an Anglophile mother controlled her home life growing up: “I was always being told I should be something, and then my whole upbringing was something I was not. It was English.” (Cudjoe 400). This Anglicized method toward upbringing manifests in strict gender roles. The piano lessons, Milton, and manners are extensions of this English identity. Especially for a girl, this forced identity focused on maintaining proper