‘Girl is an astonishing prose poem written by Jamaica Kincaid, this is one of the monologue that is easily imagined in a clear dramatic context. The irony of this prose poem come from the title given to it “Girl” because the girl only gets to speak two line through out the text and the rest is covered by the mother. The prose poem consists of single sentences about a mother advising her daughter about femininity, society, traditions and sexuality.
Throughout the text, the use of single sentence advices from the mother proves the purpose of the prose poem which is the mother’s fears for the girl’s future and the mother’s desperate need of her not becoming a ‘slut’. The mother intends to advice as well as scold her at once with the words of wisdom. Since the mother has dominated the poem, the central voice belongs to her and the use of sentences suggests her advices are at a very fast pace.
The complete text consisting just two character’s makes the sentences portray a brief meaning and this causes the repetitions in the prose poem to hold a detailed meaning. The significant repetition throughout the text is ‘slut, as the mother thinks her daughter desirers in wanting to become a ‘slut’ as the following sentence supports the mother’s belief “the slut you are so bent on becoming… “. The importance of the sexuality given by the mother suggests that reputation and respectability among the society comes from the behavior of the girl’s sexuality.
The severe repetition of slut’ conveys a theme danger of femininity, the mother basically intends to provide as much of practical advices that could save her daughter from becoming a ‘slut. There is contrast connected to the subject of slut, as the mother thinks the daughter wants to become a slut and the desperate need of the the mother against her ideology of her becoming daughter. Throughout the text, directions of advices from the mother are aimed at to guard the girl from becoming a “slut” which again supports my thesis.
The writer uses semicolons to separate the advices and commands of the mother to her daughter and also the writer distinguishes the commands from advice with the use of imperative voice, supported by the uses of words like “Wash the… don’t… be sure… always… is it true that? “. The advice and commands are spoken in a long non-stop breath; this supports that the mother is being really serious about her sincere duties to her daughter.
The theme of sexuality in the text conveys the details of the girl’s sexual maturity as well, the girl has either reached or is on the verge of reaching her sexual maturity, the mother directs her daughter to “soak you little clothes” as she takes them off, this shows the reference of her mensuration, the phrase little clothes suggests that they are reusable menstrual pad, the fact the girls havening her period relates to the fear of her mother as the daughter now has the ability to become a slut.
The mother’s social advices are also connected to sexual advices, she literally teaches her daughter how to smile at people that she likes and how to smile at men that she dislikes, and how to avoid people that may cause a threat to her sexuality, this is supported by the sentence “don’t throw stones at blackbird, because it might not be a blackbird at all”. This reference suggests how much the mother’s intermingling the social advice with the sexual advices.
The Benna plays a very important symbol in this prose poem, the Benna symbolizes sexuality, the reason why mother worries about the girl’s knowledge regarding the Beena is because of the brief history behind Benna and how important it is in a historical context. The history behind Beena is that the native Antiguans sang to secretly spread rumors and to gossip under the British people’s nose as they wouldn’t comprehend. Therefore, in this context singing Beena in Sunday school could represent disobedience and forbidden comprehension that can’t be sung or to discuss outside.
The mother keeps connecting the Beena with her daughter’s sexuality even though the daughter doesn’t equate the Beena in that sense. The girl being able to talk only twice throughout the text, suggests that daughter is trying to be respectful and patient with her mother. The two times that she speaks is by interrupting her mother’s advice, this shows that the girl is trying to defend herself against her mother’s pessimistic advices and accusations. but I don’t sing beena on Sunday at all and never in Sunday school”, This is the first time she interrupts her mother and this suggests that the girl wants resolve the fact she doesn’t want to be judged by a rumor, as someone’s told her mother that she sings beena in Sunday school.
The communication level between the mother and the daughter is discovered by the second time she interrupts to ask a question to her mother, the mother’s response to her daughter’s innocent questions is structured in a shady and in a different context, “Always squeeze bread to make sure it’s fresh; but what if the baker won’t let me feel the bread? 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” the mother answers to that question by claiming that she has already become an social outcast and considered a slut because of the potential ability that the baker has to refuse her to squeeze the bread, she means only sluts and outcast wouldn’t be allowed to touch or squeeze the bread.
The writer uses words like “feel” and “squeeze” to buy bread but actually to mean metaphorically in a sexual context. The mothers answer to the girl question, suggest that the mother’s been really harsh and shady to the daughter’s innocent question. The lack of a straight forward answer from the mother suggest the inability of the mother to communicate with the daughter.
The writers end the prose poem by the mother being cruel and biased. The mother stresses food all through her address to fortify her belief that joy originates from domesticity. The demonstrations of making pumpkin fritters, tea, bread pudding and pepper pot along these lines tackle more prominent significance as components that connects ladies to their families, their family units, and the more prominent group.
From numerous points of view, food will likewise be the mother’s most noteworthy legacy as she passes old family formulas and culinary conventions down to her girl and future eras of ladies. Interestingly, food for example, doukona and pepper pot likewise go about as stays that unequivocally put the story in Antigua and the Caribbean and this suggest that the writer has used cultures of food to know the setting of the prose poem.
Saying these particular local nourishments allows the writer to reproduce a world that is distinctive and different from a realistic sense without spoiling the meaning and structure of the prose poem. Food is one of the motifs that’s been used to portray the meaning of the prose poem. The significant purpose of the prose poem is the fear that the mother feels for the girl’s future and the mother’s desperate need of saving her from becoming a slut.
The relationship of the mother and daughter is not clearly explained but the writer uses other details show us the relationship, the details of the relationship is portrayal by the dominating strict mother to command and control, and a lot more when it comes to the subjects of femininity, society, traditions and sexuality. Its clear that the mother is most afraid of her daughter’s danger of Femininity. The mother basically intends to provide as much of practical advices that could help her daughter to live respectably and make her own living someday.
