The short story "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid was published in 1978. Although it was published in America it is based off of her childhood in Antigua.  The story encompasses the relationship between a mother and a daughter. Almost the entire text is composed of things the mother is telling the daughter. The author depicts the mother very negatively; all of the things she tells her daughter seem to be harsh and sometimes offensive. Everything the mother says is also written in long sentences one after another. This style of writing makes it seem like the mother is very controlling and won't stop pestering the daughter. By looking at the culture of Antigua in the 1960's and 70's and the author's background, we can see the different societal standards specifically of the in equality towards women, which is important because it helps us understand the remarks of the mother in Kincaid's story "Girl".

Jamaica Kincaid did not grow up in a good financial situation and was forced to leave school in order to care for her father. These circumstances made her discontent with her family. "Her family was poor: they had no electricity, running water, or plumbing in their home." (Jamaica )  Growing up in such circumstances could definitely make Jamaica dislike her family. She likely felt very unhappy because there was nothing she could do as a young girl to change her circumstances. "She learned to read and write in English until her eventual (and forceful) removal from school by her mother to help care for her ailing father" (300 The Carolina Reader). Being forced to leave her education probably further contributed to Jamaica's dislike for her family. Considering she is an author today she likely valued her education.  Therefore she must have been very upset to have to dropout from school. In a biography written about her it even says, "Kincaid's love for books was so fierce that she stole some from the library and hid them under her family's porch." (Jamaica ) But her stepfather's health put a halt to her ability to take time to learn and to read. This shows further how she had a lot to blame on her family. Jamaica Kincaid's displeasure with her family likely influenced her portrayal of them in her writing. Hence this could explain why her mother is displayed so negatively in "Girl".

Being poor also likely affected Jamaica's mother. We can see from "Girl" the mother cares a lot about Jamaica's appearance to society. The mother makes remarks like, "always eat your food in such a way that it won't turn someone else's stomach" (Kincaid 300). Remarks like this show that the mother cared a lot about how Jamaica presented herself. She probably made sure her daughter ate in the proper fashion because she wanted to seem better off. Similarly Jamaica quotes her mother telling her, "this is how you smile to someone you don't like too much," (Kincaid 301) Once again, her mother is instructing her how to act in front of other people. Her mother's repetitive directions on appearance show that she does not want her daughter to make her look bad. The mother is likely conscious of how she and her family appear because she doesn't want to just be labeled as poor.

Lastly, in the 1960's and 70's Antigua's culture was still very traditional hence women were expected to stay at the home. This expectation of women is seen in the instructions that Jamaica's mother gives her. Most of what the mother says revolves around keeping a home and other duties that were seen as the job for women. "Gender in Caribbean Development Thought and State Policies 1940-1995" is article that analyzes the role of gender in the Caribbean during the time in which "Girl" was based off of. The article shows how women work outside of the home significantly less than men. Furthermore, " across the Caribbean, men are much more represented in decision-making positions than women" (Gender in ). This is important because it shows the lack of opportunity for women like Jamaica and her mother. Because women did not work much outside of the house it was likely expected that Jamaica would stay at home and care for the house. Hence, this is why her mother teaches her daughter things like "Wash the white colors on Monday and put them on the stone heap " (Kincaid 300) or "this is how you set the table for an important guest; this is how you set the table for lunch" (Kincaid 301). To us now these statements from her mother may sound demanding. However, given the circumstances Jamaica grew up in it is likely she was expected to care for the home and therefore would need to know how to. Perhaps her mother is not pestering her but is merely teaching her daughter what is to be her job.

Looking into the culture of Antigua and Jamaica Kincaid's childhood the story "Girl" is easier to understand. Without background knowledge the short story may just seem like a Jamaica's recollection of her demanding and judgmental mother. However, understanding the circumstances of the time offers the reader a different perspective on the portrayal of the mother. Considering her family was poor and made her drop out of school it is likely Kincaid disliked her family and hence portrayed them negatively. Her mother also likely did not want to be seen as poor so she urged her daughter to present herself nicely in order to represent the family well. Lastly, during this time period there was still a lot of inequality between men and women. Therefore, it was likely expected of Jamaica Kincaid that she would be responsible for taking care of the home because she was a girl. So the mother may have been trying to teach her how to do what she would be responsible for. Once again, this perspective is only offered by finding background on "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid.

