Gender Roles in Kincaid's 'Girl': A Mother's Guidance and Expectations

This essay analyzes Jamaica Kincaid's 'Girl' through the lens of gender constructs, focusing on the mother-daughter relationship and the perpetuation of patriarchal norms. It examines how gender stereotypes, such as ladylike behavior and restrictions on girls' activities, are passed down through generations. The essay draws parallels with Curtis Sittenfeld's 'Your Life as a Girl' and Riki Wilchins' work on genderqueer identities, highlighting the societal pressures and verbal degradation faced by girls who do not conform to traditional gender roles. The analysis emphasizes the enduring relevance of these themes in contemporary society.

Running Head: KINCAID’S “GIRL” AND GENDER CONSTRUCT
Kincaid’s “Girl” and Gender Construct
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note:

1KINCAID’S “GIRL” AND GENDER CONSTRUCT
Kincaid and Gender Construct
The gender construct and the stereotype which is displayed as the characteristic feature of
the narrative that shows the mother-daughter relationship and how the patriarchal form of the
gender is being passed from generation to another. The story was written in the year 1978 but the
general concept of the gender and the role and responsibility associated with it is still very much
prevalent in almost all strata of the society. The stereotype of walking ‘ladylike’ as shown in the
story is still very much seen and observed in most households (O'Donnell). The concept of not
playing with marbles or mixing with boys are significant challenges faced by girls in the society
and the tag of a whore is the primary form of verbal weapon to degrade them.
The short story by Curtis Sittenfeld, ‘Your Life as a Girl’, shows the narrative of the girl
and how the comments and little remarks are carved into the psychology of the girl child who
does not conform to the role of a girl or does not bear the constrictive features a girl is supposed
to be disciplined (Wilchins). The article Riki Wilkins traces the gender construct and how they
are considered to be not like the gender they belong to be as the definition of the Queer gender
for the society. Both the construct have a similar discourse as found in Kincaid’s Narrative of the
girl and how her mother conditions her for the conditions she will experience in life.

2KINCAID’S “GIRL” AND GENDER CONSTRUCT
Works-Cited
O'Donnell, Rachel. "“This Is How to Make a Good Medicine to Throw Away a Child Before It
Even Becomes a Child”: The Maternal Voice in Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” and the Politics of
Nature and Knowing in the Caribbean." Journal of the Motherhood Initiative for Research and
Community Involvement 7.1 (2016).
Wilchins, Riki. "It’s your gender, stupid." Genderqueer: Voices from beyond the sexual
binary (2002): 23-32.