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Gender Roles In Jamaica Kincaid's Girl

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Gender Roles In Jamaica Kincaid's Girl
Judy Brady in “ I want a wife” and Jamaica Kincaid in “Girl” both analyze

women’s traditional roles, although they have different perspectives on these roles, they

both seem to have the same message: What role does a woman play in our society? In

Kincaid’s “Girl” story starts with a dialog between a mother and a daughter, in which a

mother is teaching her daughter the expectations of a woman in society.” I want a wife

describes duties of a wife , represented in such a way to show Brady’s unsatisfying views

of unfair roles of men and a woman. Throughout history and in all cultures the role of a woman would always come
…show more content…
In Kincaid’s”Girl”mother is teaching her daughter, that is

becoming a woman, how to behave like a lady. By saying “ on Sunday try to walk like a

lady and not like a slut you are so bent on becoming; don’t sing benna on Sunday

school”(p.192). Based on the passage we can conclude that “benna” is some kind of

inappropriate music, therefore a well-behaved girl is not to engage in such activity.

Another example of "this is how you iron your father’s khaki shirt so that it doesn’t

have a crease;”. With this Kincaid is telling us that a women always serves a man, first

her father as a girl , and than her husband as a married woman. In Brady’s “ I want a wife”, she is describing the role of a women in our society.

The role that didn’t change all that much since the times when a woman was expected to take

care of the house –hold only. Today women work, but they are in charged of house-holds,

children, and their husbands too. Brady’s constant use of the word “wife” all

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