B.A. FIRST YEAR THE INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY CHAPTER- 8 GIRL JAMAICA KINCAID NOTES

JAMAICA KINCAID

Jamaica Kincaid Born In 1949 She Is A Writer Of West Indian Origin. At The Age Of 16 She Left Her Native Place And Later Settle Down In U.S.A. She Has Written Novels, Short Stories And A Book Length The Essay.

The Extract In Your Syllabus Title Girl Is From Her Writing Called ‘At The Bottom Of The River’ Which Is Often Referred To As A Series Of Prose Poems Girl Portrays A Favourite Theme Of The Writer That Is The Difficulties Of A Growing Girl And A Mother Daughter Relationship In This Piece Of Writing A Growing And Receiving An Endless Series Of Direction From Her Mother

Girl

A Young Growing Girl Is Expected By Her Mother To Become A Perfect Housewife And Well Mannered Lady. The Mother Issues A Heap Of Cut Directions To The Girl The Girl Is Expected To Wash White Clothes On Monday And Wash Coloured Close On Tuesday, Deep Fry Pumpkin In Very Hot Sweet Oil, To Make Sure That There Is No Gum Phone Cotton While Buying It, To Soak Salt Fish Overnight Before Cooking It, To Eat Food In An Urgent Refined Manner, The Mother Even Really Tells The Daughter To Walk Like A Lady And Not Like A Cheap Or Slovenly Person, She Is Not Sing  Benna  In Sunday School ( Benna  Is A Type Of Waste Indian Song Which Often Sing On Local  Events) the Girl Is Directed Strictly Not To Speak To Boys Who Loiter  Near Quaysides And Steel.

The Writer Seems To Suggest That In A Male Dominated Society Women Were Expected To Be Subdued By Men And Perfect Home Makers With Hardly Any Interaction With The Outside World . Kincaid Shows How The Psychological Emotional Needs And Rights of The Girl Child And Women Were Overlooked The Mother Goes To Give Further Household Direction To Her Girl About Stitching How To Iron Clothes, How To Grow Plants ,How To Clean And Sweep, How To Smile At People, How To Set The Table For Various Meals. So We Can Figure Out How Low Is Education In The List Of Priorities In The Mother's Outlook As Well As In Terms Of Social Outlook. The Mother Expects Too Much From The Girl the Girl Is Over Burdened By The Mother's Expectations The Mother Herself Has Been A Victim Of A Such As Society And Obsessed With Training The Girl To Measure Up To The Requirements Of A Male Dominated Society.