Sarcasm

Jamaica Kincaid wrote "Girl" which is a mother speaking to her daughter about what she ought to be learning to do and what she ought not to be doing.  The cadence of the writing is quick and urgent, the entire work is one, continuous run-on sentence.  There is but a scant two interruptions from the daughter.  This causes the reader to wonder what is the cause of the urgency, why the sarcasm on the part of the mother?  Or is it condescension that borders abuse on her part instead?  Kincaid wrote this story to highlight the relationship between a mother and daughter engulfed in a poor and ordinary life.

Kincaid grew up surrounded by "ordinary people", the farmers and carpenters of her young life were not highly educated people.  She was expected to learn to keep a house and cook and take care of her husband and their children.  She very well may have been on the receiving end of a talking to much like her story, "Girl".  The list begins with "Wash the white clothes on Monday,...", there is no preamble or introduction of our characters, just a list of things to do and not do (Kincaid 1145).  The reader can feel the sting of sarcasm when the mother says "try to walk like a lady and not the slut you are becoming" (Kincaid 1145).  On the surface, a reader might view this list as being told by an abusive, uncaring mother, but if one looks deeper, another relationship can be found.

Many relationships depend on sarcasm for levity, in fact some relationships rely on sarcasm explicitly.  What brother and sister do not banter sarcastically back and forth?  Best friends can tell the truth while lightening the potential sting a bit with sarcasm.  In Smithsonianmag.com, Pexman states that "a sarcastic comment is a way to simultaneously express our expectation as well as our disappointment."   This is exactly what Kincaid is doing with her mother character.  The mother expects that her daughter will follow the instructions and not end up a slut or a woman that is not trusted by the baker around baked goods.  This is funny and witty because the mother knows her daughter well enough that she will not end up that way.  

The reader can assume that these characters, given the language that is used and the lack of grammar, are not from an affluent, well educated community.  They are plain folk that tell it like it is, whether you want to hear it or not.  The mother wants the best for her daughter that she loves, and tells her plainly enough with a little dose of humor mixed in for good measure.