A Mother’s Melancholy

Jelani Lay

Mr. Brand

Honors 10th Literature and Composition

13 August 13 2013

A Mother’s Melancholy

Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” is an interesting, if not confusing, read. The passage starts out with a list of commands being given, and as the passage continues, it becomes apparent that the mother is speaking with her daughter. The commands range from when to wash the white clothes, and go all the way up to how to keep a man and how to abort a baby. The majority of people believe that the mother is only trying to give her daughter helpful advice; however, it slowly starts to show that the mother is bitter about her own mistakes and is taking it out on her daughter.

The “guidance” that the mother gives has the appearance of motherly advice that is just being delivered with a somewhat strict and rude tone. Most of the advice is everything a girl from Kincaid’s childhood should know, like how to cook pumpkin fritters the correct way, and not to walk in the sun without something covering your head. Some appear to even be for her protection, like when she says “you mustn't speak to wharf–rat boys, not even to give directions” (Girl, lines 11-12). These are the boys native to her island, Antigua. Although this is somewhat closed minded guidance, it shows that the mom’s heart is in the right place. On the other hand, things start to take a turn for the peculiar when she starts referring to her daughter as a “slut”.

The mother starts to give instruction on how to fold and iron the girl’s father’s clothes correctly after she calls her a slut for the second time. Right before that, the mother tells her how to fix her shirt properly so she does not look easy when she walks down the street. These two critical pieces of information shed a little light to the mother’s past. The information clearly shows that the mother was not on good terms with her father. It is also very likely that the mother’s clothing was not in the best condition, leading to the boys thinking she was an easy time and further angering her father. The mother cannot get over her less than perfect relationship with her father, and is taking it out on the daughter to make the mother feel better about her wretched life.

The mother also shows her daughter how to clean the house, as depicted in the sentences, “this is how you sweep a corner; this is how you sweep a whole house; this is how you sweep a yard;” (Girl, lines 23-25). The mother’s father was probably still upset from her looking like a whore, and gave her extra chores and punishment to instill value and order in the mother. However, the abuse just furthered her animosity for him. The mother also shows the daughter how to smile at people she does not like, and to fake seeming nice and polite. That advice displays that instead of taking time out to explain what happened to the father, the mother just took her punishment without uttering a syllable while she suffered. Not knowing how to cope from the trauma, the mother takes it out on the daughter, ensuring that the cycle of torture stay unbroken.