Short Story Girl Through A Historical/Biographical Approach
Every day, tons of children especially teenage females endure the domineering parental nature due to the stereotypes imposed by society. The injustices, prejudices, and discriminations against particular sex have played a significant role in teens abandoning their families and societies; when given an opportunity. Jamaica Kincaid and the young daughter from her short story Girl are ideal examples of teen girls being targeted due to the specific gender roles developed in the communities. Approaching to Kincaid’s Girl through a historical/biographical lens, it is evident that the daughter represents the author in her adolescence. As the dictatorial and oppressive parenting style of Kincaid’s mother, after she had three sons in quick succession is similar to the harsh and autocratic mother-to-daughter relationship from the short story Girl. Besides that, both Kincaid and the girl were challenged by the unjust and prejudicial treatments caused by the different societal roles that boys and girls adhere to. Thus, the dictatorial parenting and unjust gender roles imposed by society indicate how the experiences of the author are reflected in the main protagonist from the piece Girl.
First of all, the domineering mother-to-daughter relationship is apparent in both the author’s life, as well as the life of the girl in her short story. As at the age of nine; a sudden change came into Kincaid’s life with the subsequent births of her three brothers. This changed her relationship with her mother drastically. Her mother’s love had been severely diminished and she had been inexplicably rejected and cast out. For instance, she was an intelligent student and also won a scholarship to a school affiliated with the British system of education. Unfortunately, her mother forced her to withdraw from school to support the family and to take care of her ill stepfather. It appears that Kincaid’s mother does not think about the social aspect of her daughter’s life. According to this, bossy parenting can lead to resentful effects within familial relationships. Correspondingly, authoritative parenting is illustrated in the entire Kincaid’s story Girl. The short story substantially consists of the mother’s outlook. It is conspicuous that the mother is talking about things that she thinks are beneficial. It is clearly illustrated that the mother is not willing to accustom the standpoint of the girl. For instance, mother says, ‘don’t sing benna in Sunday school;’ and in response, the daughter’s thinking is shown as ‘but I don’t sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday school;’ (Kincaid) This illustrates how the mother is not even taking the account of the possibility that the girl does not engage in with benna in Sunday school. Thus, in this regard, the imperious nature of the mother is clearly perceptible.
