Subject: Literary Criticism

Critical Analysis Essay

Cavite State University

A Formalist Analysis of Jamaica Kincaid's Girl: The

Stereotypes and Universal Pressures on Women in the Society

When a man gives his opinion, he's a man. When a woman gives her

opinion, she's a bitch - Bette Davis. This quotation from Bette Davis is one of the

many stereotypes among women in a patriarchal society. According to Collins

dictionary, the word bitch is a derogatory slang which means malicious, spiteful or

coarse woman, thus the quotation gives a negative connotation about women and

that the idea of being called a bitch is just as derogatory as ever. The quotation

simply implies that opinions of women are of not much importance and that they

are just being a bitch for voicing out their opinions. This gender stereotype and

other universal pressures on women is also apparent in the text 'Girl' by Jamaica

Kincaid. The text circulates on how the mother directs her young daughter a list of

rules to follow as advice that will help her be more 'likeable' and become a

'reputable woman'. Using formalist analysis, one will discover how the form,

organic form, structure and words used in the text 'Girl' by Jamaica Kincaid

presents the stereotypes and universal pressures on women in the society.

The first thing that one can notice in the short story is the way how it is

written. The text doesn't follow the traditional format for short stories as it is written

in a one long run-on sentence within a one large paragraph. Moreover, one can
also catch the sight of used semi-colons instead of periods. Periods are kind of

stops or rests in sentences thus, the refusal to use periods will make it sound like

the mother is on constant babble making the readers feel overwhelmed with

information. This structure of the text represents how, like the mother, the society

is also on constant babble on what women should and should not do. Women are

overwhelmed with the list of the things the society has been imposing on them.

The second thing that one can discern in the text is its rhythm. If one reads

the text loudly, it kind of makes a rhythm brought by the constant repetition of the

phrase "this is how" as apparent in the evidences below:

This is how you sweep a corner; this is how you sweep a

whole house; this is how you sweep a yard; 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; this is how you set a table for tea; this is how you set a

table for dinner; this is how you set a table for dinner with an

important guest; this is how...

These repetitions of "this is how" on the text sounds like a rhythm which

represents the repetitions of the things women do in their everyday lives - to cook

and clean all day, everyday, thus the rhythm of the text is also the rhythm of life of

women in the society. Additionally, according to the website Cram, in The Rhythm

of Reality in the works of Jamaica Kincaid, scholar Diane Simmons describes

Kincaid's writing style as "manipulative" in how it draws in the reader, hence the

style of writing and the feeling the structure of the text gives to the reader is

symbolic to the pressures felt by young women as they are constantly instructed
how to behave in the society.

The third aspect that can be noticed in the text is the imperative sentences

used by the mother which gives an imperative mood throughout the text.

According to Nordquist in the website ThoughtCo., in English grammar, the

imperative mood is the form of the verb that makes direct commands and requests.

This imperative mood gives the reader the thought that the mother is in control

over the girl's life (because the mother is constantly babbling on what the girl

should and should not do). That being so, the society, like the mother, is also in

control over the lives of women as the society also keeps on inflicting 'practices'

which are expected to be obeyed by women.

The fourth aspect that can be detected in the text is how limited the girl

speaks and how it is not in the imperative mood. Throughout the text, the girl only

speaks twice as apparent in the evidence below which gives the reader the idea

that the girl is timid. Moreover, one can also distinguish that these utterances of

the girl are not in the imperative mood since the girl is not the one in control in the

story but the mother is. On top of that, one can also observe how the mother is not

responding to the girl's replies and just continuing to go over her list of do's and

don'ts making her character a very dismissive one.

But I don’t sing benna on Sundays at all and never in

Sundayschool; .... but what if the baker won’t let me feel the bread?

For this matter, one can postulate that the limitedness of the girl's

responses echoes the power of women holding in the society - limited.

Furthermore, the girl being timid and the mother being dismissive mirrors the
relationship of women to society - women being faint-hearted and society being

dismissive to women's appeals.

Lastly, one can observe how the word 'slut' is repeated multiple times in the

story as evident below.

On Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are

sobent on becoming; ... this is how to hem a dress when you see the

hem coming down and so to prevent yourself from looking like the

slut I know you are so bent on becoming; ... this is how to behave in

the presence of men who don’t know you very well, and this way they

won’t recognize immediately the slut I have warned you against

becoming;

According to Westcott from BBC News Magazine, the word slut still

reverberates with negative connotations linked to sexual promiscuity, and it is still

applied predominantly to women rather than men. This repetition of the word slut

in the text represents the derogatory attitude the society often carries out towards

women of any age.

In conclusion, the role of women in the society since then until now is

constantly controlled by the society. Just like in the text, women are told over and

over again how to behave, what they should and should not do and how to not

become the slut the society accused women are so bent on becoming. All of thes

eare analyzed through the form, structure and words used in the text 'Girl' by

Jamaica Kincaid hence, these matters (form, structure and words) indeed

contribute to the meaning of the text which presents the stereotypes and universal
pressures on women in the society.

References:

Kincaid, J. (2020). Girl. The New Yorker. Retrieved from

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1978/06/26/girl.

Nordquist, Richard. (2020). Definition and Examples of the

Imperative Moodin English. Retrieved from

https://www.thoughtco.com/imperative-mood-grammar- 1691151

Shmoop Editorial Team. (2008). Girl Writing Style. Shmoop.

Retrieved from https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/girl-

kincaid/analysis/writing-style.

Style, Tone, And Characterization In Jamaica Kincaid's Girl.

Cram. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cram.com/essay/Style-Tone-

And-Characterization-In- Jamaica-

Kincaids/PKD5UT53UZ3Q#google_vignette.

Westcott, K. (2011). Why is the word 'slut' so powerful? BBC News.

Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-13333013.