Loss of Innocence

Life is made up of expectations.  Whether they're others' expectations of you, or your expectations of yourself, they have the ability to mold you into who you are- even if it's someone you don't like.  

Let's talk about society for a second.  Society is a major league player whenit comes to what's considered acceptable and what isn't.  Fortunately, the society we currently live in is significantly more improved than say, 40 years ago where the lives of women were much more regulated by "manners" and men for that matter.  Women have had to endure a harsh struggle in terms or trying to achieve the same social status of men, and have been constantly battered by the expectation to be the ideal woman.  

In the short story "Girl", by Jamaica Kincaid, this pressure on women to be perfect is accurately portrayed through a conversation between a mother and her daughter.  I have to say, when I first read this story, I was completely interested by its simplicity.  How could one conversation, or more like a set of rules, convey such a powerful message?  Even more surprising to me was that this set of rules on how to become the ideal woman was passed from mother to daughter.  It adds a sense of acceptance of the limited lives women were forced to endure during this time, and rather than telling her daughter to live her life as the woman she wants to be, the mother succumbs to the immense amount of social pressure and instead instructs her daughter to follow society's expectations.  

"...on Sundays try to walk like the lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming."  

At several points in the story like the one shown above, the mother even goes as far as to calling her daughter a slut.  Now think about this:  What kind of effect do you think these words could have on a young girl?  The girl in this, who is most likely quite young hence the title of the story being "Girl" rather than "Woman", is not only having any dreams of her future crushed, but is expected to become a slut by society and her own mother.  In their eyes, the only way to contradict this is to follow a strict set of rules.  Only one outcome is possible from this, and that is her loss of innocence.  It's a very innocent and child-like idea to belive that you're capable of becoming anything that you want to be, and that your future is in your hands - not the hands of others.  However, like with the girl in this story, that innocence is instatly stripped away by society's expectations and in this case, the "traditional" role of the perfect woman.  She is now being treated like a woman rather than the girl she really is.  

It's difficult to go against what others expect of you, but here's the secret: nobody's perfect.  No matter what you do, you will never be able to live up to the "perfect woman" or "the perfect man" or the "perfect anything" in the eyes of society, so why not do whatever you want?  Screw society.

-Number Six