Interpretation: In “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, the narrator is giving advice to her daughter, that she thinks will help her keep herself together. She tells her daughter how to do household chores like laundry, sewing, ironing, cooking, etc. As she goes on, her advice becomes less about housework and more about interacting with the world, especially men. However, the mother’s main aim is to keep the daughter from becoming or being perceived as a “slut.” She tells the girl, for example, to always walk like a lady, not to sing any Antiguan folk songs in Sunday school or talk to any “wharf-rat boys”.
Analyze: In the beginning of the story, the mother’s advice is sympathetic, but as the story goes on, they become more sensual. She wants her daughter to know how to maintain a household, but she also wants her to find and keep a man. However, she doesn’t want her to be a “slut” that she’s so bent on becoming. She tells the girl she will become a “slut” on three different occasions, but she doesn’t seem to have a real reason to believe the girl is one.
