An Intro. to Literary Study: Gender Perspective in 'Girl' by Kincaid

This project provides an analysis of Jamaica Kincaid's short story, 'Girl', focusing on the portrayal of gender roles and societal expectations imposed on young females. The analysis examines the cultural impositions and the traditional expectations placed on the girl, primarily through the mother's instructions. The assignment explores themes of femininity, domesticity, and the potential for harmful stereotypes, while also questioning the impact of these impositions on the girl's development. The analysis also touches upon the potentially destructive aspects of some of the advice given. The project concludes with a discussion on whether children can rise above these cultural and societal impositions, reflecting on the broader implications of the story's themes.

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A gender Perspective of Girl by Jamaica Kincaid
There have been so many conversations around gender since the ancient times. At a mere
mention, the word ‘gender’ draws a wide range of thoughts most of which are highly
contentious. With the rise of feminism, people have adopted a rather narrow sense of gender to
mean the fight for women rights. Gender constructions are as old as human societies and the ill
relations between the male and female relations date back to the ancient days when the human
beings had barely made any innovations. There are some roles that have been dictated as
feminine and others as masculine. Most of the gender constructions are imposed by culture and
they are almost universal in all world cultures. Jamaica Kincaid in her short story Girl explores
the roles attributed to the female gender. She outlines most of the duties that the society expects a
girl to perform. Kincaid in her short story presents not only a narrow sense of femininity but also
some misleading information that could be destructive to social balance.
Being female does not mean that one must always work within the domestic space. The
story by Kincaid outlines the duties that a girl ought to do to perfectly fit in the society. The
chores are predominantly domestic. The chores include washing clothes, preparing meals and
setting the table. The voice in the story says, “… cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil;
soak your little clothes after you take them off” (Kincaid 320). The story presents a sexist view
of the world. Even though the gender roles specified in the short story fit well within femininity,
they can be performed by any gender. The emphasis placed on the roles creates an implication

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that they are sex roles which are biologically constructed. Both males and females can be equally
effective in the domestic and public spaces.
The short story is a clear portrayal of the stereotypes imposed by the society upon
children especially the girls. The instructions given by the mother to the girl are openly
discriminatory. The mother says, “… don’t squat down to play marbles – you are not a boy, you
know” (Kincaid 321). This statement triggers the readers to think that the mother believes that
there are some games which the girl must not play. This stereotype is capable of creating and
maintaining a gap between males and females. The society ought to be careful on what it passes
from one generation to another as it is likely to thrive for longer periods.
The mother in the short story passes some misleading information to the girl. Some of the
recommendations given to the girl are potential of destroying herself but also creating troubles in
the society. The mother tells the girl “… how to make a good medicine to throw away a child
before it even becomes a child” (Kincaid 321). This implies that the mother advocates for
abortion which could have negative effects on the girl.
Conclusion
Critically, the short story outlines major societal impositions upon the girl child. It also
presents some detrimental measures prescribed to young females breaking into womanhood.
Discussion Question: Can children rise above the cultural and societal impositions?

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Works Cited
Kincaid, Jamaica. "Girl." Charters, Ann. The Story and its Writer: An Introduction to Short
Fiction. 6th. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003. 320-321.