Throughout history, women have been expected to look a certain way, to do certain activities, and to have certain opinions. If a woman dares to go against those demands, then she risks being scrutinized or looked down on by society. The short story "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid is a perfect example of how historically, women have little to no say in what they do and how they feel about basically all of the essential components of their life. "Throughout historical time, women have been largely excluded from making war, wealth, laws, governments, art, and science." (Kelly-Gadol 810). Throughout the passage, Kincaid emphasizes her message of the insufficient acknowledgement of women's opinions by including several literal components that play with the reader's emotions and perspective on women's roles. "Girl" creates a message of inequality and inferiority to men in societies around the world through the title, perspective, tone, and sentence structure.

The title, with support from the mother's demands set the tone for the entire piece. The word "Girl" implies that the character is very young and does not have any real life experience; therefore she cannot make decisions for herself and does not know what is best for her.  This parallels with a historical perspective of women's roles in society, not only in Antigua, but all around the world. For years upon years, women have struggled to obtain equal treatment; women have always been looked at as being inferior for their lack of historical accomplishments (Rosaldo 1). The word "girl" has an immature and naive connotation, pushing readers to conclude that girls cannot take care of themselves or voice their own opinions. When girls grow into women, this connotation does not dissolve because of the social norm that women must do what they are told. Throughout the entire piece, the mother keeps telling her daughter simple demands in a very particular way like, "this is how you sweep a corner; this is how you sweep a whole house' this is how you sweep a yard" (Kincaid 197) as if the daughter could not figure out how to do anything on her own. The demands coming from her mother are so simple, but she tells them in a way that is made complex This compares to women's roles in society because in the nineteenth century women had very limited rights such as not having the right to vote, testify in court, and having to remain subservient to their fathers and husbands (Mutume). Rosaldo talks about women in the Jewish ghetto communities and how they had a lot of influence but would still, "defer to their husbands, and their greatest joy in life was to have a male child" (Rosaldo 22). Even when women hold some power, the opinions and wants of men come first. The title "Girl" makes the reader imply that women cannot do anything for themselves and is inferior to men.

The fact that the majority of this short story is told from the perspective of the mother is a very essential component to this piece. It highlights the fact that women in society do not have any other options for another lifestyle or opinions. When the girl tries to speak up for herself, she is automatically shut down and if she goes against what her mother is saying or has another opinion, then her mother undoubtedly assumes that she will become "the slut I know you are so bent on becoming" (Kincaid 197). Even when the daughter tries to tell her mom that she follows the rules and does not "sing benna on Sundays" she automatically is cut off and scrutinized for speaking (Kincaid 197). The minimal sentences that the daughter contributes in this piece emphasize women's inability to express their opinion. The daughter has very few opportunities to voice her opinion, and when she does, her mother does not take her opinion into account and keeps on rambling on about what she needs to do. This shows how in history even if women were doing what they were suppose to, but had something to say, they were instantly shut down and were not expected to have any opinion. In the past women have had no other options for opinions, just how like the daughter does not have any room or options for any type of opinion without being perused for her actions. "Women's lives are marketed by neither privacy nor distance... Women, more than men, must respond to the personal need of those around them" (Rosaldo 28). At times one's society may look like women have equal rights and can fully express their opinion, but in reality, women's opinions are put on the backburner, supporting the claim of gender inequality. 

The diction used in "Girl" is demanding with examples such as: "wash", "you mustn't", "this is how you", and "don't"(Kincaid 197). The mother only speaks to her daughter in a demanding tone throughout the entire text, which is important to emphasize that women usually have to obey to demands and expectations. Michelle Rosaldo states in her book, Women, Culture, and Society, that women are universally the "second sex" which leaves men "free to form those broader associations that we call 'socitey'" (Rosaldo 24-25). Throughout history women have been portrayed to fill certain roles without questions. Kincaid chose to only depict a demanding tone throughout the entire passage so the reader could see that the girls' life is just a bunch of demands. All of the demands revolve around the home and domestic work, which parallels with the fact that women's lives are home based. When a woman does deviate from her expected role, she should not have any flaws and if she does, those flaws will be exaggerated to their extent. The attention to detail in the constant demands of the mother show the narrow mindedness of society and how only questioning the "norms" can get blown out of proportion. For example, near the end of the passage when the girl says, "but what is the baker won't let me feel the bread" (Kincaid 197) her mother automatically infers that her daughter will become a "slut" and barks at her, "you mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker won't let near the bread?" (Kincaid 197). This one simple question is a situation where questioning the "norms" leads to different treatment of women in an inferior way because they can be judged for the smallest things, such as not being able to be near the bread.

The sentence structure of this piece is a very essential characteristic that exposes the underlying message of "Girl". The entire text is composed of only one sentence joined with multiple semi-colons to separate the different statements, portraying the format of a stream of consciousness. This implies that women's lives never have a break and even if it may seem as if everything is finished, there is always something more to be done. The roles that girls learn to fulfill easily transition to the roles that women are expected to complete, and are valued less when compared to the status and roles of men. "Women's early experience in growing up has continuity" (Rosaldo 28) in all of the expectations that she has a both a girl and woman. There is a never-ending list of chores to do or errands to run like, "this is how to make bread pudding; this is how to make doukona; this is how to make pepper pot; this is how to make a good medicine for a cold..." (Kincaid 197). These chores stated in the passage are back to back with very specific directions for what the girl must do for every task. Also, if these chores are not completed, the girl or woman is seen as being a failure or being lazy. In contrast some typical activities that men are expected to complete are, "hunting, farming, or politics" (Rosaldo 25). These activities should be completed periodically, and the failure or partial completion of these activities is not looked down upon. The continual current of thoughts and actions do not leave any room for any opinions or thoughts that would depart from the expectations of women in society, while men have a totally different set of expectations and the success or failure of those expectations is valued in a way that puts men before women. 

The context of girl is a perfect example of the historical oppression of women's opinions, not only in Antiguan culture, but also in all societies. Through several components of the passage, Kincaid makes her message clear to the reader and changes the readers' perspective of women's roles and how their voices are heard. The title, "Girl" implies that all women are immature and cannot make choices for themselves. Because the passage is mostly told from the mother's perspective, shows how women rarely have another option for their opinion to be heard. The demanding tone of the mother implies women must fulfill the role that is expected and do not have the freedom that men have to contribute their opinions to society. Finally, the stream of consciousness like sentence structure of the piece emphasizes that women do not have time to think about possibilities because they are too busy fulfilling their role as a proper woman in society.
