"Girl" is a one-sentence, 650-word dialogue between a mother and daughter. The mother does most of the talking; she delivers a long series of instructions and warnings to the daughter, who twice responds but whose responses go unnoticed by the mother. There is no introduction of the characters, no action, and no description of setting.

The question you ask is obviously a personal one, and only you can say what parts of the mother's instructions or the daughter's reactions you connect to. However, the following is a list of universal ideas that might apply to any reader:

• feeling like parents/authority figures always dictate instructions rather than listening to the child.

• feeling like society or a parent/authority figure is placing you in a "box" based on your race or sex; society is anticipating you to act a certain way based on your appearance, not who you are as an individual.

• feeling like no one ever notices you as an individual, or listens to what you have to say.

• feeling like society places undue pressure on you to perform, to take on certain responsibilities, whether you want to or not.

• feeling like growing up is overwhelming, that there is too much to do and too much to remember.