Jamaica Kincaid's story "Girl" allows readers a glimpse into the strict, demanding manner in which parents reared their children almost twenty years ago. Through Kincaid's careful structuring of "Girl," readers capture the commanding tone of the story. The relationship between the mother and the girl also reeks of empowerment and distance, as best seen through the girl's short-lived speech in the story. Most important, "Girl" shows readers how particular the lessons taught to the children …showed first 75 words of 808 total…

…showed last 75 words of 808 total…concern. Works Cited Kincaid, Jamaica. "Girl." The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. Ann Charters. Boston New York: Bedford St Martins Publishers Inc., 2003. Works Consulted Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 68. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1991. 204. Green, Carol Hurd, and Mason, Mary Grimley, eds. American Women Writers. New York: Continuum, 1994. Magill, Frank N., ed. Masterpieces of African-American Literature. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1992. Showalter, Elaine, ed. Modern American Women Writers. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1991.