Jamaica Kincaids The Autobiography Of My Mother - 1735 Words

No one is born misogynistic. Misogyny is a taught practice. The main beneficiary of these unvoiced teachings are women themselves. Misogyny is not always displayed as an direct act of discrimination, it can manifest itself as the manipulation of another woman in order to get what you want or to move higher on the ladder of success. In Jamaica Kincaid’s â€Å"The Autobiography of my Mother†, the protagonist, Xuela, encounters a woman, Madam Labatte, that misuses her jurisdiction over Xuela for her own selfish desires. In comparison, â€Å"Tracks† by Louise Erdrich introduces us to Pauline, who exploits a young, beautiful girl, Sophie, for a different set of selfish desires. Pauline and Sophie’s relationship and Madame Labatte and Xuela’s†¦show more content†¦To possess is to have complete control over, it can also be used in a spiritual sense which conjures thought of her previous capitalization of the word â€Å"Him†. Their sordid â €Å"love† story has changed her into the woman Xuela meets, miserable and â€Å"defeated† (Kincaid 65). Pauline’s loneliness is not the product of a failed love story. Instead, Pauline has always struggled to find her place in the world. The community of Native American tribes in North Dakota that she lives in have isolated and refused to accept her because of her bloodline as one of the despised Puyats, â€Å"We never knew what to call her, or where she fit or how to think when she was around. So we tried to ignore her† (Kincaid 39). Fleur, a woman whom Pauline admires and envies, marries Eli. Pauline, in competition with Fleur, attempts to seduce Eli which results in another rejection and her feelings for him becoming conflicted, she says after his dismissal: â€Å"So I both turned from him and desired him, in hate.† (Erdrich 75) To alleviate the loneliness and pain, instead of looking towards the men in their lives who have hurt them, they look towards the young girls for a solution, Xuela and Sophie. Both women seek self-preservation through the girls in some way while simultaneously attempting to liveShow MoreRelated Language in Jamaica Kincaids Autobiography of My Mother Essay703 Words   |  3 PagesUse of Language in The Autobiography of My Mother  Ã‚  Ã‚   Language. It is the way words flow into sentences, which flow into paragraphs, which flow into novels. It is the ability of the author to create an intricate web of plot, emotion, symbolism, and relationships through only words. In The Autobiography of My Mother , Jamaica Kincaid uses language in a way that is very simplistic, yet highly effective. Her writing is direct and to the point. There is neither flowery wording not complex sentenceRead More Abandonment in Jamaica Kincaids Autobiography of My Mother Essay examples728 Words   |  3 PagesAbandonment in Jamaica Kincaids Autobiography of My Mother Xuela, the protagonist of Jamaica Kincaids novel, The Autobiography of My Mother , comments, I felt I did not want to belong to anyone, that since the one person I would have consented to own me had never lived to do so, I did not want anyone to belong to me (112). The outward coldness of this statement is clearly observed, but it is the underlying statement Xuela is making that is truly a significant theme within the novel; XuelasRead MoreXuelas Character in Jamaica Kincaids Autobiography of My Mother959 Words   |  4 Pages  Many critics of The Autobiography of my Mother have remarked on the unrealistic facets of Xuelas extremist character. Her lack of remorse, her emotional detachment, her love of the dirty and impure, and her consuming need for total control over everyone and everything around her give her an almost mythic quality. A more well-rounded, humanistic character would have doubts and failings that Xuela does not seem to possess. In light of Xuelas deep-seated resen tment of authority, stubborn love ofRead MoreEssay about Girl/Woman Work Socio-Historical Critique1439 Words   |  6 Pagesinteresting poetry or stories. Two phenomenal women, Maya Angelou and Jamaica Kincaid portray two different points of view in their works of literature. A lot of things can contribute to their differences, but in particularly their upbringing is a major cause of their variances. In Jamaica Kincaid’s â€Å"Girl,† a young girl has the â€Å"rules of the world† drilled into her head by her scolding mother while in Maya Angelou’s â€Å"Woman Work† a mother faces the adversities of her life on her own. With such differentRead MoreAfrican Literature and Culture1447 Words   |  6 Pagesearlier works, the female gender was often perceived as â€Å"the Queen Mother.† Many African writers portray women in traditional roles whereas articles written in the past few decades analyze male-female relationships with a more feminist a pproach. This paper will analyze articles by leading African writers concerning the representation of the male-female relationship. In 1997, Jamaica Kincaid’s book entitled The Autobiography of My Mother opened the eyes of readers to the life of the protagonist and narratorRead MoreNegotiating Halls Caribbean Identity in Kincaids Annie John3215 Words   |  13 PagesCaribbean Identity in Kincaids Annie John In his article Negotiating Caribbean Identities, Stuart Hall attempts to relay to the reader the complications associated with assigning a single cultural identity to the Caribbean people. Even though the article is intended by the author to represent the Caribbean people as a splicing of a number of different cultures, the processes Hall highlights are noticeable on an individual scale in the main character of Jamaica Kincaids novel, Annie John. AnnieRead MoreEssay on The Mother-Daughter Relationship in Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid1452 Words   |  6 PagesThe mother-daughter relationship is a common topic throughout many of Jamaica Kincaids novels. It is particularly prominent in Annie John, Lucy, and Autobiography of my Mother. This essay however will explore the mother-daughter relationship in Lucy. Lucy tells the story of a young woman who escapes a West Indian island to North America to work as an au pair for Mariah and Lewis, a young couple, and their four girls. As in her othe r books—especially Annie John—Kincaid uses the mother-daughter relationshipRead MoreAnalysis Of Jamaica Kincaid s The Autobiography Of My Mother Supports Xuela s Self Discovery Through Boundary Crossing1914 Words   |  8 PagesPrompt #3: Discuss how the motif of garments in Jamaica Kincaid’s The Autobiography of My Mother supports Xuela’s self-discovery through boundary crossing. From the point of view of Xuela Claudette Desvarieux, Jamaica Kincaid presents a powerful account of how race, gender, class, and the power of the individual intermingle and clash in colonial society. This paper will examine the role of garments in the novel and how they contribute to Xuela’s view of society. Although I can easily expand theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem My Mother Breed By Anita Desai1701 Words   |  7 PagesMother Nature nurtures the feminine soul in the abyssal waters that she liberates from the depravities of human civilization. The sedative spirit of the ocean and her progenies nourish the human psyche with the inspiration to pursue individuality and independence. Patriarchal contaminations of societies submerge the unifying realm of female emancipation; masculine sovereignty suffocates the woman’s voice in the silence of the sacred seas. Secular literature documents the exclusion of the female gender