"Girl"

"Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid consists entirely of a list of what to do and what not to do, given from a mother to her daughter. In this list she covers duties and behaviors a mother would hope to see her daughter exemplify. However, I feel the mother has doubts about her daughter actually maturing and becoming a young lady, since she mentions her daughter growing into the slut she warned her about. The mother also details many angles to go about doing something. An example of this is, "...this is how you smile to someone you don't like too much; this is how you smile to someone you don't like at all; this is how you smile to someone you like completely." I picture the mother to be a hard-working, civil, and driven woman who, more than likely, spends much of her time cleaning and taking care of the house. It seems from all that she hopes to instill in her daughter, she has high hopes for her to grow up to be a strong woman with plenty of knowledge about taking care of the house and family (what could have been the role of women at the time). I find the last few lines interesting in that the daughter questions anout the baker letting her feel the bread or not. I think the girl might be thinking of a time in the past when she may have tried to touch the break but the baker did not allow it simply because she was merely a child. Her mother may be misinterpreting her daughter's question or thoughts. Surely by now, after having obtained this list from her mother, the girl will grow into a wiser and more responsible young woman, and will certainly be able to buy her own bread.