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Cultural Norms In Kincaid's Short Story, Girl

Decent Essays

In Kincaids short story “Girl” our narrator is describing the ways a traditional woman must act in West Indian culture. Dominated by males, women are given a set of guidelines that are found to be socially acceptable in their culture. The narrator is given a set of rules to her daughter that she must learn and follow in order to become a proper lady in India. In order to not be seen as a slut she must obey these rules. It is her duty to cook and clean for her household, even act a certain way in the presence of men. The cultural norms in West India may seem strange to us, but to them it’s a way of life. We are told that white clothes must only be washed on Monday and color clothes are to be washed on Tuesday. While this may seem strange to us in America, since we can wash our laundry whenever we need to or have the time, in India this is not the case. It would be considered improper to not follow these very specific rules for …show more content…

Karma is a huge thing in India’s culture, where good is repaid with god and bad actions can present the person with bad consequences. The girl is also taught the proper way to prepare fish before cooking. While soaking fish in brine is not an uncommon process in America, it is not a mandated requirement before cooking. I have, on many occasions, prepared pan fish without first soaking them in brine overnight. She is also taught the proper way to prepare doukona, a West Indian dish, and pepper pot. The women are treated as the homemaker so these skills are valuable for all young girls to learn in India. While in American it is not uncommon to see the man of the house preparing food in the kitchen, it’s abnormal in West Indian culture. Even I enjoy cooking in the kitchen. As a man in our culture it is no longer a big deal, however in traditional Indian culture this is frowned

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