Jamaica Kincaid is an American writer of Caribbean (i.e., Antiguan) origin, born in 1949. Her literary works reflect her perception of life through the prism of life experiences in a traditional Antiguan family, where women occupy a secondary position, as well as his coming of age, the separation from his roots and the acquisition of independence. His writings also reference the colonial past of his mother island. Jamaica Kincaid's relationships with her family, particularly her mother, influenced her writing, and the short story Girl is one such example. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In Girl, written in 1983, Kincaid chronicles the mother-daughter relationship from a mother's point of view, showing how and what Mom teaches her growing, probably teenage, girl. As for the theme, Girl strongly suggests that a woman should be domestic and humble, and that there is a certain way she should act, which is a very traditional and old-fashioned perspective, the parental point of view based on stereotypes and gender . typical issues of traditional Antiguan society. At first glance, readers might think that the story simply describes the list of instructions that a caring mother gives to her teenage daughter. From the mother's point of view, offering such a complete set of things to do and to be, and to avoid doing and being, is a great help for the little girl, a guide to turn to in the most diverse situations of life. The author shows that the mother shares all her common domestic wisdom, therefore trying to raise her girl as a good wife and a good woman. The mother's speech is a continuous recitation of advice and the daughter can hardly utter a word. There are only two instances in the story, where the girl actually says something, "but I don't sing the bucket at all on Sundays and never in Sunday school" and "what if the baker doesn't let me taste the bread?" (Kincaid 321). Her words go unanswered or are interpreted as a diagnosis of her transformation into a blameworthy woman. The mother is stern and does her best to show how important modesty and dignity are in their society: “On Sunday try to walk like a lady and not like the whore you are so determined to become” (Kincaid 320). This sentence sounds especially scary from the mother's lips, considering that the girl is quite young still playing marbles with boys on the street (doing what she shouldn't squat like a boy, according to her mother) and probably doesn't see boys as yet sexual objects. However, it seems that it was the mother's duty, in the traditional Antiguan society of the time, to prevent the girl from becoming a slut by teaching her from an early age. From the context of the story, it might seem that the mother usually casually advises her daughter this and that, however, phrases like "avoid looking like a slut" (Kincaid 320) must reflect social stereotypes and the generation gap between mother and daughter . There is little trust between the two, so the mother suspects that her girlfriend wants to be free with boys, and doesn't trust her daughter when the girl says she doesn't sing the bad gossip bucket songs in Sunday school. At the same time, the mother does not explain or go into detail why a decent girl should know how to terminate the pregnancy “before she even becomes a child,” and why the mother, as a presentable example to follow, knows the recipe. first. Whatever the behavior, the mother's fear of social judgment and that,?”.