Jamaica Kincaid expresses in her article Girl, by using her mother’s voice. She also separates her mother's demanding commands from her annoyed feelings toward her mother. The author's mother is giving her advice to help prepare her daughter for her future of taking care of her family and owning her own house one day. Kincaid explains that her mother makes sure that she knows how to do her household chores, and explains to her how to make catfish and herbal medicines. Her mother is suggesting that they are living or have lived in a deprived society and they have taken it upon themselves to survive on their own. The author's states, “always squeeze bread to make sure it’s fresh; but what if the baker won’t let me feel the bread?;
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The roles of women may appear chauvinist and limit what women can and cannot do, but Kincaid’s story allows a woman to believe that she has freedom and control over herself. The reading states “this is how you iron your father’s khaki pants so that they don’t have a crease; this is how you grow okra – far from the house…this is how you sweep a corner; this is how you sweep a whole house; this is how you sweep a yard,” (Kincaid 385) feminine roles in society are believed to be ironing, cooking, cleaning, and performing household duties and a male, by tradition, will support the family by working and bringing home the income. Without the male there would be no income and without the female there would be no food to nourish the children and the working husband. The chapter shows that although one may think that the role of a woman seemed to be irrelevant, there would be no one to take care of the children or make the house more livable. Kincaid also gives control to the women in her story, she says in the reading “this is how to make a good medicine to throw away a child before it even becomes a child,” (Kincaid 385) she is giving the daughter control of her body by telling her that she can make a medicine to abort her child before it is fully
The roles of women may appear chauvinist and limit what women can and cannot do, but Kincaid’s story allows a woman to believe that she has freedom and control over herself. The reading states “this is how you iron your father’s khaki pants so that they don’t have a crease; this is how you grow okra – far from the house…this is how you sweep a corner; this is how you sweep a whole house; this is how you sweep a yard,” (Kincaid 385) feminine roles in society are believed to be ironing, cooking, cleaning, and performing household duties and a male, by tradition, will support the family by working and bringing home the income. Without the male there would be no income and without the female there would be no food to nourish the children and the working husband. The chapter shows that although one may think that the role of a woman seemed to be irrelevant, there would be no one to take care of the children or make the house more livable. Kincaid also gives control to the women in her story, she says in the reading “this is how to make a good medicine to throw away a child before it even becomes a child,” (Kincaid 385) she is giving the daughter control of her body by telling her that she can make a medicine to abort her child before it is fully