Antigua: British Colony
"Girl" was first published in The New Yorker magazine twelve years after Kincaid left Antigua for New York City. Despite the time and distance, Kincaid drew from her upbringing in Antigua for the setting and themes of "Girl," just as she does in her other works. From Kincaid's birth in 1949 until her departure in 1966, Antigua was a British colony. England had taken control of the island in 1667 after thirty years of conflict with the Carib Indians, the Dutch, and the French. In 1674, the first major sugarcane plantations were established, and African slaves were brought in to work on them. These slaves were emancipated in 1834, and their descendants now constitute the majority of the island's population. Antigua also served as a significant British naval base until the early twentieth century when the battles for New World dominance between the British and the French subsided.

During British rule, Antigua had a small, affluent white population from Europe and a large, impoverished black population descended from African slaves. The Carib Indian population had been eradicated. Like her contemporaries, Kincaid attended schools modeled after the British educational system. The children were taught to speak "proper" English, studied British history, and read and memorized works by British authors such as William Wordsworth and John Milton. They did not learn about the Carib people, African history, or even Antiguan history, and there were no books by Caribbean writers available.

As a young child, Kincaid did not perceive the impacts of colonialism. In an interview with Donna Perry, she remarked, "the political situation became so normal that we no longer noticed it. The better people were English and that was life." However, as she matured, she began to resist. She told Selwyn R. Cudjoe, "When I was nine, I refused to stand up at the refrain of 'God Save Our King.' I hated 'Rule, Britannia'; and I used to say we weren't Britons, we were slaves."

Antigua's poverty made it susceptible to British domination, and the economy worsened in the 1960s when the international sugar market declined, forcing Antigua out of the business. However, in 1967, after Kincaid had moved to New York, Antigua and the neighboring island Barbuda became a semi-independent "Associated State." They achieved full independence from Great Britain on November 1, 1981.

Antigua: Daily Life
Despite being the wealthiest island in the Eastern Caribbean, Antigua remains poor by North American standards, and conditions were even more challenging during Kincaid's youth. Most families, like the mother and daughter in "Girl," cultivated their own fruits and vegetables and consumed minimal meat, primarily relying on fish they caught. The foods mentioned in the story reflect typical Antiguan cuisine: pumpkin fritters, doukona (a pudding made from cornmeal, green bananas, coconut, sugar, and spices), and pepper pot (a stew made from greens similar to spinach and other vegetables, reheated daily with new ingredients). Their homes lacked running water and electricity, and they relied on homemade remedies for illnesses instead of doctors and pharmacies.

Many Antiguans, particularly the older generations, follow a woman-centered, African-based religion called obeah, which is akin to voodoo. Even those who attend Christian churches often practice obeah, employing spells and secret medicines when needed. Since objects can harbor spirits, obeah practitioners are wary of appearances. This belief underpins the mother's caution, ‘‘don't throw stones at blackbirds, because it might not be a blackbird at all.’’ Kincaid's mother and grandmother practiced obeah, and in an interview with Selwyn R. Cudjoe, Kincaid explained, ‘‘I was very interested in it; it was such an everyday part of my life, you see. I wore things, a little black sachet filled with things, in my undershirt. I was always having special baths. It was a complete part of my life for a very long time.''

Point of View
"Girl" does not feature a traditional narrator because it lacks conventional action. There are no events or series of happenings recounted by characters or a third-person narrator. Instead, the story is predominantly a monologue delivered by the mother. She speaks in the first person, using "I" when saying things like "the slut I know you are so bent on becoming" and "the slut I have warned you against becoming." More significant than "I," however, is the pronoun "you." The mother directs her speech to her daughter, the "girl" in the title, and every instruction includes either the word "you" ("this is how you set a table for tea") or an implied "you" ("cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil").

In its treatment of point of view, "Girl" resembles a type of lyric poetry known as the dramatic monologue more than it does typical short prose fiction. Dramatic monologues place a single character in a dramatic scenario, speaking to a listener who is identifiable but silent. Through the speaker's words, both personality and conflict are unveiled. Although "Girl" includes two lines spoken by the daughter, these first-person lines propel the story beyond pure dramatic monologue into the realm of fiction, where even limited exchanges between characters become the central action.

However, as Moira Ferguson notes, the absence of exposition in the story suggests another interpretation: "the entire section could be the daughter's own internal monologue. What if the daughter is simply imagining this oracular, maternal discourse, extrapolating certain worries expressed by the mother in day-to-day asides?" In this scenario, the mother's words might be recollections of things she has said over time, rather than one continuous speech, and the girl's italicized responses could be rehearsals for future confrontations. Whether the mother is speaking or the girl is remembering, Kincaid employs the first-person point of view to generate immediacy and tension. Even without descriptions of people or places, readers can vividly imagine these two women and sense the charged atmosphere between them.

Setting
While "Girl" lacks detailed descriptions, the mother's instructions provide several hints about the Caribbean setting. For instance, in the opening lines, the mother talks about putting laundry ‘‘on the stone heap’’ and ‘‘on the clothesline to dry,'' suggesting a lifestyle without modern electrical appliances. She later discusses "how you make ends meet,’’ which indicates a level of financial hardship. The foods she mentions further locate the story in the Caribbean: pumpkin fritters, salt fish, okra, dasheen (also known as taro, a tropical starchy root), bread pudding, and pepper pot. Kincaid herself grew up on the island of Antigua, in a household without electricity or running water. Although she does not explicitly name the location, she envisions it set there.

First published in the June 26, 1978, issue of the New Yorker, "Girl" marked the beginning of what would become a series of more than a dozen short stories by Jamaica Kincaid in that magazine. Five years later, "Girl" was featured as the opening story in Kincaid's debut collection, At the Bottom of the River.

Kincaid had been a writer for the New Yorker for several years when, one afternoon, she read Elizabeth Bishop's poem "In the Waiting Room." Inspired, Kincaid sat down and wrote "Girl" in a single sitting. She describes this moment as pivotal in finding her voice as a writer: "I somehow got more confident in what I knew about language. Finding your voice brings great confidence." The story is a 650-word, one-sentence dialogue between a mother and her daughter. The mother dominates the conversation with a long series of instructions and warnings, while the daughter responds twice, though her replies are ignored by the mother. There is no character introduction, action, or setting description. The mother's voice begins abruptly and continues unbroken to the end. Like much of Kincaid's fiction, "Girl" draws from her personal life and her relationship with her mother. Though the story’s setting is unspecified, Kincaid has shared in interviews that it takes place in Antigua, where she was born.

From Kincaid's birth in 1949 until she left Antigua in 1966, the island was a British colony. England had taken control in 1667 after thirty years of conflict with the Carib Indians, who originally inhabited the island, as well as with the Dutch and French, who also sought to claim it. In 1674, the first significant sugarcane plantations were established, leading to the importation of African slaves for labor. Slavery was abolished in 1834, and the descendants of these freed slaves now form the majority of the island's population. Antigua also served as a crucial naval base for the British until the early twentieth century, when British-French conflicts over the New World diminished.

Under British rule, Antigua had a small, affluent European white population and a large, impoverished black population descended from African slaves. The Carib Indian population had been eradicated. Like her contemporaries, Kincaid attended schools modeled after the British educational system. Students were taught to speak "proper" English, studied British history, and memorized works by British authors such as William Wordsworth and John Milton. They were not taught about the Carib peoples, African history, or even the history of Antigua. Additionally, books by Caribbean writers were not available.

As a young child, Kincaid was largely unaware of the impacts of colonialism. In an interview with Donna Perry, she remarked, "the political situation became so normal that we no longer noticed it. The better people were English and that was life." However, as she matured, she began to resist. She shared with Selwyn R. Cudjoe, "When I was nine, I refused to stand up at the refrain of 'God Save Our King.' I hated 'Rule, Britannia'; and I used to say we weren't Britons, we were slaves." Due to Antigua's extreme poverty, Great Britain easily controlled the island. The economy worsened in the 1960s when the international sugar market declined, forcing Antigua out of the industry. Nonetheless, in 1967, after Kincaid had moved to New York, Antigua and Barbuda became an "Associated State" with limited self-governance. Full independence from Great Britain was finally achieved on November 1, 1981.

Although Antigua is now the wealthiest island in the Eastern Caribbean, it remains poor by North American standards. During Kincaid's youth, it was even poorer. Most families, similar to the mother and daughter in "Girl," grew their own fruits and vegetables and consumed little meat, relying mostly on fish they caught themselves. The foods mentioned in the story were typical: pumpkin fritters, doukona (a pudding made from cornmeal, green bananas, coconut, sugar, and spices), and pepper pot (a stew made from spinach-like greens and other vegetables, reheated daily with new ingredients added). Their homes lacked running water and electricity, and they treated illnesses with homemade remedies instead of seeking doctors and pharmacies.

Many Antiguans, particularly the older generations, practice a woman-centered, African-based religion called obeah, which is similar to voodoo. Even those who belong to Christian churches often practice obeah as well, using spells and secret medicines when needed. Believers in obeah do not trust appearances, as objects may conceal spirits. This belief underlies the mother’s warning, "don't throw stones at blackbirds, because it might not be a blackbird at all." Kincaid's mother and grandmother practiced obeah, and the writer explained in an interview with Selwyn R. Cudjoe, "I was very interested in it; it was such an everyday part of my life, you see. I wore things, a little black sachet filled with things, in my undershirt. I was always having special baths. It was a complete part of my life for a very long time."

Although Kincaid has stated that she did not heavily consider politics while writing At the Bottom of the River, Diane Simmons illustrates that the desires of the British colonial authorities ruling Antigua during Kincaid's youth are reflected in many lessons imparted by Kincaid's fictional mothers. "As the child in both At the Bottom of the River and Annie John approaches puberty, the mother increasingly mirrors the colonial educational system, which seems determined to erase all that is native to the child, rewarding only that which imitates the European rulers." Consequently, the mother suddenly implements several programs to transform her daughter into a "young lady."

1978: Antigua functions as a semi-independent "Associated State" under British rule. It is no longer a full colony but has not yet achieved full independence.

1990s: The independent nation of Antigua and Barbuda includes Antigua, Barbuda, and the uninhabited island of Redonda.

1970s: Antigua's economy is primarily agricultural, focusing on fruits, vegetables, cotton, and livestock. The island's previous dependence on sugar production ended suddenly and disastrously in the 1960s.

1990s: Antigua's economy shifts to service-based industries, with tourism and offshore banking becoming the main economic drivers.

1970: About 41 percent of Antigua's population is fourteen years old or younger. Many adults either emigrate or die before reaching old age.

1995: The proportion of the population aged fourteen or younger drops to 25 percent. Adults are now living longer and more are staying in Antigua.

1974: Despite being a small and impoverished island, Antigua is densely populated with 70,000 residents, averaging 412 people per square mile.

1995: Antigua's population has declined to approximately 65,000, as many residents have emigrated to the United States and other countries in search of better opportunities. In contrast, the United States has a population of 263 million, with an average of 71 people per square mile.

"Girl" and several other stories by Kincaid had already appeared in the prestigious magazine, the New Yorker, before the release of her collection At the Bottom of the River in 1983. Similar to "Girl," many of the ten stories about Caribbean childhoods are narrated in a dreamy, stream-of-consciousness style. This volume garnered more critical attention than short story collections typically receive, especially for a debut work. Early critics were captivated by the stories' language, although some were discouraged by their overall ambiguity.

"Girl" has been featured in numerous significant anthologies, including Wayward Girls, Wicked Women: An Anthology of Stories (1987), Green Cane and Juicy Flotsam: Short Stories by Caribbean Women (1991), Images of Women in Literature (1991), and Beyond Gender and Geography: American Women Writers (1994). Most scholarly analysis of Kincaid's work has concentrated on her debut novel, Annie John, which is regarded as a more profound and approachable exploration of Kincaid's themes.

Kincaid's Annie John is a novel structured in eight episodes. It tells the story of Annie John, a young girl growing up on the Caribbean island of Antigua, who experiences a tumultuous adolescence marked by both love and resentment towards her mother. As she grows older, she grapples with understanding her parents, her faith, her culture, and her sexuality.

Other literary works that center on women and explore themes similar to "Girl" include Krik? Krak! (1996) by Edwidge Danticat, a collection of nine poignant and beautiful short stories about women in Haiti, which was a finalist for the National Book Award. Additionally, The Penguin Book of Caribbean Short Stories (1997) compiles forty short stories, ranging from pre-Columbian myths and legends to works by prominent twentieth-century authors such as Jean Rhys, V. S. Naipaul, and Claude McKay.

"Girl" is accessible on audiotape, created in 1991 by the American Audio Prose Library and narrated by the author.

"Girl" is available on audiotape, narrated by the author. This tape, produced in 1991 by the American Audio Prose Library, is titled Jamaica Kincaid Reading Annie John (The Red Girl), At the Bottom of the River ("Girl" and "My Mother"), and Lucy (Excerpts).

Sources
Bardsley, Barney, Review of At the Bottom of the River, in New Statesman, Vol. 108, No. 2790, September 7, 1984, p. 33.

Bonetti, Kay, Interview with Kincaid, in The Missouri Review, Vol. 21, No. 2, August 17, 1998. Available online at http://www.missourireview.org/interviews/kincaid.html.

Cudjoe, Selwyn R., ‘‘Jamaica Kincaid and the Modernist Project: An Interview,’’ in Callaloo, Vol. 12, Spring, 1989, pp. 397, 402, 408.

DeVries, Helen, Interview in Christian Science Monitor, May 2, 1985, p. 41.

Edwards, Audrey, ‘‘Jamaica Kincaid: Writes of Passage,’’ in Essence, Vol. 22, No. 1, May, 1991, pp. 86-89.

Ferguson, Moira, Jamaica Kincaid: Where the Land Meets the Body, Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1994, p. 18.

Leavitt, David, Review of At the Bottom of the River, in The Village Voice, Vol. 29, No. 3, January 17, 1984, p. 41.

Milton, Edith, ‘‘Making a Virtue of Diversity,’’ in The New York Times Book Review, January 15, 1984, p. 22.

Natov, Roni, ‘‘Mothers and Daughters: Jamaica Kincaid's Pre-Oedipal Narrative,’’ in Children's Literature, Vol. 18, 1990, pp. 1-16.

Perry, Donna, Backtalk: Women Writers Speak Out, New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1993, pp. 132-133.

Simmons, Diane, Jamaica Kincaid, New York: Twayne, 1994, pp. 30, 48, 49.

Snell, Marilyn, "Jamaica Kincaid Hates Happy Endings,’’ in Mother Jones, Vol. 22, No. 5, September-October, 1997, pp. 28-31.

Timothy, Helen Pyne, ‘‘Adolescent Rebellion and Gender Relations in At the Bottom of the River and Annie John,'' in Caribbean Women Writers, edited by Selwyn R. Cudjoe, Wellesley, Mass.: Calaloux Publications, 1990, pp. 233-242.

Tyler, Anne, ‘‘Mothers and Mysteries,’’ in The New Republic, Vol. 189, No. 27, December 31, 1983, pp. 32-33.

Vorda, Allan, ‘‘An Interview with Jamaica Kincaid,’’ in Mississippi Review, Vol. 20, No. 8, 1991, p. 15.

Further Reading
Bloom, Harold, ed., Jamaica Kincaid: Modern Critical Views, Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 1998.
This collection comprises eleven essays that offer criticism and interpretation, focusing mainly on Kincaid's work following At the Bottom of the River. Most essays are written for academic audiences.

Cudjoe, Selwyn R., Caribbean Women Writers: Essays from the First International Conference, Wellesley, Mass.: Calaloux Publications, 1990.
This volume includes three dozen essays and interviews discussing the works and lives of English-speaking Caribbean women writers, as well as insights into the writings of Spanish-, French-, and Dutch-speaking women. Two essays specifically examine Kincaid's work, while the others provide broader context.

Dachner, Don, and Dene Dachner, A Traveler's Guide to Caribbean History, Sacramento: Travelers Press, 1997.
An accessible and insightful overview of the Caribbean's historical development, intended for general readers.

Nasta, Shusheila, ed., Motherlands: Black Women's Writing from Africa, the Caribbean and South Asia, New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1991.
This work explores black women writers and their interpretations of motherhood myths. The first two sections are titled ‘‘Breaking the Silence: New Stories of Women and Mothers’’ and "Mothers/Daughters/Sisters?" Kincaid's fiction is analyzed in the third section, ‘‘Absent and Adopted Mother(land)s.’’