Monday, January 27, 2014

What is the point of view in Kincaid's "Girl"?

I would like to qualify Mshum's answer.  She is right, of course, that there is no narrative presentation of setting, description, or exposition, but the implied setting of this story is very important.  Clearly, the advice given to the daughter suggests the implied island setting as well as its values and routines.  Critics suggest that the mother actually symbolizes the repressive British Colonialism, and that interpretation also depends on the understanding of the island setting.  Students doing a close reading of this story should go through it and cite specific clauses that do suggest its setting.  Another possibility to consider is that instead of a monologue, the story could be considered the girl's interior monologue.  Would the mother actually say all these directives at once? It is possible, of course, but it's also possible that the girl hears all this advice in her head as she reviews things her mother has told her and other things she's observed in her mother's behavior and puts it all together.

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