Jamaica Kincaid wrote Girl based on a child living on the island of Antigua in the 1950's. The story is told from a mother's point of view, explaining to her daughter how to properly work, live, and behave in the culture. The lifestyle of Antiguan women was tough during this time because they were not able to work outside of the house alongside of the men. They were expected to be household slaves. Kincaid's story is written using forceful language, run-on sentences, and language specific to the Antiguan culture. This is important to the reader because these literary elements help to portray a theme of forced work, societal demand, and maturing as a woman in an Antiguan society.

The use of forceful language within the text aids the reader in fully understanding the historical context of the story. Kincaid writes using forceful commands such as, "wash the white clothes on Monday" (Kincaid, 196) and, "wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry" (Kincaid, 196). This style of language directly relates back to the forced working conditions in the Antiguan culture. Women were forced to work in the household and take care of their families, the cleaning, laundry, cooking, and ironing. The daughter in the story was at an age that her mother could begin teaching her how to properly act in society and properly take care of the household duties. It was not a choice that the daughter, or any woman in Antigua, had, though. She was forced to perform the tasks given to her daily. To portray this theme in her writing, Kincaid chose to use forceful language and phrases for the reader to better understand the lifestyle. 

Throughout the story, Kincaid used run-on sentences separated by semi-colons, instead of complete sentences separated by commas. This creates an extensive list of tasks that Antiguan girls that were maturing into women were expected to perform. The amount of chores and the number of societal norms that the women were expected to perform was never ending, similar to Kincaid's sentences in her writing. Her stylistic choice aided the reader in understanding the extent to which these women worked or learned. In Girl, the narrator talks of the demand on society, saying, "on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming" (Kincaid, 196.) Society expected women to dress, walk, talk, and act like a perfect lady everywhere they went, never lacking proper poise. If a woman was not pleased with another person or situation, she was taught to smile at them in a certain way, pretending to be happy with the circumstances or their actions. "This is how you smile to someone you don't like at all," (Kincaid, 197); a line in Kincaid's Girl that depicts the demanding outer expectation of the Antiguan woman. Women were not allowed to create conflict or stir up society because, in this time, their opinion did not matter in Antigua. 

Throughout Girl, culture-specific language is used to create a setting for the reader. It is specific to the Antiguan culture around which this text is based, but it is also based strongly on the time frame in which the story is set. The Antiguan culture of the 1950's used different words than people in other regions of the world. Kincaid portrays this cultural distinction by using Antiguan language throughout the story. When Kincaid writes about the demands towards the Antiguan women she says, "don't sing benna in Sunday School"(Kincaid, 196). Benna is an African influenced style of music, similar to calypso, that was be chanted by African slaves as they worked in the fields and used as a form of communication amongst themselves, secret from their slave masters (Shotte). It is a representation of their African culture and often characterized by the scandalous gossip of the slaves. Antigua, at the time, was in its waning days of being colonized by Great Britain (Reader, 196). To sing benna would be to bring attention to her African descent, and that behavior was not accepted in Antigua under British control. Along with cultural music, Kincaid writes about the agricultural aspect of Antigua by saying, "when you are growing dasheen, make sure it gets plenty of water or else it makes your throat hurt when you are eating it" (Kincaid, 197). This example of agriculture and diet within the Antiguan culture helps the reader to more fully understand the historical context to which this short story is written. Dasheen is a food brought to Antigua by the slave trade and is now planted all over the island (Antigua). This mention of a culture-specific plant aids the reader in relating the story to the historical and cultural context of Girl. 

As it is told through the story of Girl, the culture of Antigua is demanding and harsh for a woman. As they mature from a girl into a woman, society places expectations on them that are not easy to reach, let alone exceed. Women are expected to complete extensive tasks during their days in the house and are not able to work with the men. They are forced to act as ladies in every aspect of life, including hate. The Antiguan women are not allowed to show their African culture or mention their culture in society in any way. The island was under British control at the time this story was written and rules were very strict. Kincaid does a terrific job portraying these themes in her writing by incorporating stylistic elements such as run-on sentences, forceful language, and Antiguan vocabulary. These elements help the reader to understand the culture severity and importance around which this text revolves. The specific examples used in this text also help the readers to better understand the historical and cultural context from which the information is coming. 
