Castillo 1 Karina Castillo Ms. Gardner English 2 16 November 2013 The Fictional Contradiction o a Carib !

oman "ee# Felica $. %Never Mind the &arallels# 'on(t $ead )t as M* "i e.+ International New York Times. The New York Times Company. !eb. 2, Nov. 2013.

)n "ee(s article-intervie. o /amaica Kincaid she a00roaches the s1b2ect o Kincaid(s divorce and ne. novel See Now Then, and its a00arent connection to her real li e. "i3e man* o Kincaid(s other novels# See Now Then has a seemingl* obvio1s connection to man* as0ects o her li e# b1t Kincaid re 1ses to admit that it4or an* o her other boo3s4is an acco1nt o her li e. Kincaid sa*s that the scenes in her ne.est novel are ar more dramati5ed than her li e co1ld have ever been. 6he sa*s that it is onl* her imagination and she onl* .anted to .rite abo1t %the li e o children and the lives o their 0arents7+ .itho1t 0eo0le thin3ing it .as abo1t her# b1t a1thors o ten do not see the strain their art 01ts on their home li e. The article .ritten b* Felicia "ee a ter an intervie. .ith Ms. Kincaid is some.hat biased. The a1thor# "ee# clearl* believes that man* o Kincaid(s novels# incl1ding See Now Then, are acco1nts o Kincaid(s o.n li e# and she ma* not be .rong. "i3e man* other novelists# Kincaid(s imagination ties to and stems rom her o.n li e b1t she o ten re 1ses to admit it# and this 0roves one o Kincaid(s o.n blind s0ots. Kincaid o ten .rites abo1t homelessness and belonging# and her o.n homelessness and need or belonging ma* allo. or her brilliant

Castillo 2 literat1re b1t ma* also bloc3 her abilit* to acce0t that she is in act .riting abo1t her o.n li e. This allo.s or the reader to 1nderstand .here Kincaid(s 1ni81e and oddl* act1al iction stems rom# and ho. some o her novels( themes come rom her o.n li e4incl1ding sel 9e:cl1sion rom amil*4and she ma* not even see them in hersel . Mc'o.ell# 'eborah E. %; <rie =istor* o ;1tobiogra0h*.+ International New York Times. The New York Times Company. !eb. 2, Nov. 2013. This article 0rovides 0erce0tive in ormation abo1t the tendencies o a1tobiogra0hical .or3s# and the reader(s dra. to them. Mc'o.ell(s article is a revie. o a novel .ritten on these tendencies and it dra.s rom and oc1ses on the a1tobiogra0hies s1ch as Angelas Ashes and Moments of Being. )t tells ho. a1tobiogra0h* is the acco1nt o an a1thor(s li e told b* them. The a1thor o ten recalls the series o their li e tr1th 1ll* and acc1ratel* or readers to get the 1ll stor*. Mc'o.ell(s article relates to The Autobiography of My Mother beca1se# altho1gh Kincaid titled her boo3 The Autobiography of My Mother, it is neither an acco1nt o her mother(s li e# nor an a1tobiogra0h* .ritten b* her mother. ;lso# in this res0ect# Kincaid sa*s this novel is iction# b1t in more .a*s than one# it sho.s connections to her o.n li e> the main character even shares her last name and is abandoned b* her ather. This article hel0s the reader 1rther 1nderstand the sort o meta0hor that Kincaid .rites in4the contradiction her novels hold. The* are an a1tobiogra0h*# b1t the* are iction> the* are iction# b1t the* are abo1t her li e in more .a*s that she .ants to admit> she tells her stories tr1th 1ll* thro1gh the % iction#+ b1t denies that the* are her o.n.

Castillo 3 S hine, !athleen. "A #orl$ as !ruel as %ob&s.' International New York Times. The New York Times Company. !eb. 30 Nov. 2013. 6chine(s revie. begins and ends .ith brie literar* criticism> she 0raises Kincaid(s elegant 0rose and overall chilling novel .hile critici5ing ho. it seems +1na0ologeticall* inh1man#+ and %there is also something d1ll and 1nconvincing.+ The rest o the revie. ho.ever is more or less a s*no0sis o the novel. 6chine oc1ses on the hate and 0ain in Kincaid(s novel that is elt b* the main character# ?1ela. 6he notes ho. Kincaid 1ses bea1ti 1l 0rose to e:0ress the 0ain elt in ?1ela(s terrible childhood# her colonial schooling# her emotionless se:1al enco1nters# her sel 9in licted abortion# and 0oints o1t that ?1ela onl* sees li e as a 0assage.a* to death. ;n im0ortant and r1it 1l as0ect o 6chine(s article is her oc1s on ?1ela(s hatred to.ard the .orld and her longing or death. =er revie. is acc1rate@ Kincaid(s st*le in the novel is st1nning and ver* elegant# b1t ?1ela(s inh1man nat1re ma3es it hard or the reader to connect to her character and 1nderstand her motives in li e. Anli3e most# or ?1ela the onl* meaning to li e is that it im0lies death# and this is a ver* im0ortant 0oint or the reader to 1nderstand. %The Natives o <ritish G1iana.+ International New York Times. The New York Times Company. !eb. 30 Nov. 2013. This a1thorless article rom Ma*# 1B,6 tells o the sad ate o the Carib 0eo0le in the time. The* state ho. the Caribs are the %the onl* .arli3e and co1rageo1s tribe among them+4the Caribbean aborigines4 and the* %are 0racticall* e:tinct7.+ The '1tch came to the islands#

Castillo C and bro1ght the Carib 0eo0le and the other aborigines o or slave trade and invaded their

islands 1ntil the aborigines .ere 0racticall* instinct. This .as a h1ge 0roblem at the time and le t remaining Carib 0eo0le alone and the* %lost their love or battle+ no. that it had 3illed ever*one the* 3ne. and loved. This .or3 is a 01rel* act1al article abo1t the '1tch invasion o the Caribbean# and ho. it a ected the aborigines or readers in the time 0eriod. The connection to The Autobiography of My Mother is clear@ ?1ela(s mother .as a Carib .oman# and ?1ela is hal Carib. This as0ect o ?1ela(s li e is instr1mental beca1se it am0li ies her loneliness beca1se 0eo0le cast her as an o1tsider beca1se o .here her mother is rom. The Caribs are loo3ed do.n on beca1se the* ailed in 3ee0ing their 0eo0le sa e> this sho.s not onl* the e:cl1sion o all Caribs# b1t also a close910 enco1nter .ith one Carib .oman and ho. it a ected her li e. !erloc3# ;bb* =. &.# ed. DKincaid# /amaica.D Bloom&s (iterature. Facts En File# )nc. !eb. 2, Nov. 2013.

!erloc3 .rites abo1t /amaica Kincaid(s li e and her literat1re rom the ver* beginning o her career or Kincaid(s readers. 6he acco1nts ho. Kincaid4also 3no.n as Elaine &otter $ichardson4came rom the Caribbean island o ;ntig1a in 1,6F# and ho. she le t her mother and ste09 ather to become an a1 0air. The reader is able to discover that Kincaid married the son o the man .ho edited the New Yorker4.here she 01blished her irst short stor*. !erloc3(s article abo1t Kincaid is almost strictl* act1al# ver* in ormative# and to the 0oint abo1t Kincaid(s li e and literat1re. The article reveals some o the names o Kincaid(s

Castillo F relatives4;nnie# $ichardson# and &otter4as .ell as some o her li e events4her ather abandoning her at a *o1ng age and being 01shed o1t o her home co1ntr* and into another4 .hich are amiliar to Kincaid(s readers rom her % ictional+ boo3s. This allo.s the reader to develo0 a stronger connection to Kincaid(s boo3s# and it hel0s the reader 1nderstand ho. similar Kincaid(s boo3s are to her o.n li e. <* giving the reader a connection to Kincaid(s real li e# !erloc3 allo.s or a dee0er a00reciation o Kincaid(s novels.

!est# Eli5abeth /. D)n the <eginning There !as 'eath@ 60irit1al 'esolation and the 6earch or 6el in /amaica KincaidGs Autobiography of My Mother.D Bloom&s (iterature. Facts En File# )nc. !eb. 1H Nov. 2013.

!est(s critical vie. gives both criti81es on the s*mbolic content o Kincaid(s boo3# The Autobiography of My Mother, as .ell as the limited abilit* Kincaid gives the reader to be moved b* her novel. 6he a00roaches the lac3 o content on Kincaid(s 0art in the ma3ing o the main character# ?1ela as .ell as her relationshi0s .ith others# religio1s belie s# and racial interactions. !est incl1des the act that ?1ela is an 1n eeling and sociall* removed character# so it is di ic1lt or a reader to ma3e a connection to her and easil* ollo. her li e stor*. !est also ma3es that the 0oint o ?1ela(s s1dden change o heart rom %sel 9 interestedness+ to %a sentimental disco1rse o 1n o1nd love and 1n 1l illed desire+ ma* be an attem0t to allo. the reader to connect# b1t is altogether 1nbelievable.

!est o ers anal*sis behind her criticism that hel0s the reader 1rther 1nderstand ?1ela(s character and the theme behind the boo3. =er dee0 criti81e hel0s the reader 1nderstand ho.

Castillo 6 ?1ela(s emotionall* disconnected ather and de0arted mother# her discontent to religio1s belie s# her s0irit1al and romantic disconnection to others# and her ancestral disconnection tr1l* a ect her character# th1s ma3ing ?1ela easier to 1nderstand. !est(s criti81e clari ies central themes in the novel# s1ch as ?1ela(s mi:ed hate and her need to loo3 10 to her ather. 6he 1ses the e:am0le o ?1ela(s ather(s da55ling hand.riting to sho. ho. ?1ela sees her ather as larger than li e# b1t her inabilit* to read e:0resses her inabilit* to connect .ith her ather and her hatred at him or being so.