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Jamaica Kincaid Symbolism

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Jamaica Kincaid depicts an instructional survival guiding theme in “Girl,” about a mother giving essential advice to the daughter about very critical life issues. The advice consists of how to do many domestic acts such as Antiguan dishes, being a respectable young lady and many small suggestions to not have a ruined reputation amongst the society the young girl is living in. Throughout the short story uses symbolism to emphasize the theme entirely so the girl learns to behave and be pure in front of others who watch her every move. Moreover, the mother in this short story advises her daughter by telling her how to make certain foods. In many instances the mother does not hesitate to tell the daughter how and where to grow the vegetables needed for the dishes in which the daughter must learn to make. For example, the …show more content…

A single tune may seem harmless but the meaning behind the words of the song actually contradict the advice the mother is trying to relay. The benna song symbolizes unladylike manners that the mother is constantly repeating to her young daughter not to do. The mother uses her words to dictate her daughter to religiously be very mannered like. As singing the song may damage her reputation. Which the mother would not approve of it, so what the mother means is that she would like her daughter to sing or speak in a very formal way. Which is why the mother hints to not sing benna in Sunday school rather than home. This suggests the mother might not mind if she sang the benna at home because no one is going to see her sing it. It would be by far worse if the daughter sang the song out in public than private. Nonetheless, the simple act of singing benna is as bad as eating fried chicken with your fingers which is very unladylike which the daughter must fully avoid doing if she wants to survive in her environment with an honorable

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