Firstly, Jamaica Kincaid’s short writing “Girl” is a unique type of storytelling comprised of lists of instructions. The idea is that the author reveals how women impose patriarchy on other women, which enables their own oppression and goes against the postulates of feminism. It is about the sheer number of lessons on how a woman can fit into the patriarchal society, which is achieved by focusing on how a woman is perceived by men. For example, “you mean to say that after all, you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker won’t let near the bread” (Kincaid, 2003, p. 321). An expert states: “women uphold patriarchy, despite the ways that it disadvantages them, because of the ways that it feeds into greed and fear … an unwillingness to pay the price for bucking the system” (Beau, 2019, para. 17). In other words, women should not determine their behavior by seeking to appear positively towards men.
Secondly, Jamaica Kincaid showcases the core origin of patriarchy. The system is a social construct of ancient times for the assurance of fatherhood. Social stratification is a result of patriarchy, which manifests in tribalism, classism, racism, and other forms of separation, which began with men seeking to control their fatherhood. For example, the author writes: “try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming” (Kincaid, 2003, p. 320). An expert suggests: “there is an irreducible distance between the biological father and the offspring that can only be eliminated fully by imprisoning a woman and preventing any other man from having access to her” (Beau, 2019, para. 14). Therefore, patriarchy goes well beyond a mere gender inequality and gender roles because its effects on society are manifested in all different frameworks injustices.
References
Beau, E. (2019). Women uphold the patriarchy too.Medium. Web.
Kincaid, J. (2003). Girl [PDF document]. Web.