Discussion About Girl

1
The Daughters of the Late Colonel
Themes’
i. Patriarchy & Oppression
After the colonel’s death, Constantia & Josephine’s lives are exposed as stunted & meaningless,
since their sole purpose was to care for their elderly father: they have been forced to sacrifice their
own futures for his well-being, and as women, they have not been chosen to carry on his business
works. Even after his death, the colonel—an imposing, tyrannical man—continue to forcefully
influence his daughters, since Constantia and Josephine imagine his continued presence in their
home. As a symbol of patriarchy, the colonel both oppresses his daughters and provokes their fear,
uncertainty, and passivity.
ii. Ambivalence and Dependency:
The two sisters are unable to make sound judgments about other people in their lives and their own
action toward these people in general. They regard their surroundings with ambivalence, as if
incapable of independently forming their own opinions. Constantia and Josephine are crippled be
overthinking, contributing to the story’s anticlimactic mood and circular structure: by the end of the
story, the sisters seemed as paralyzed and helpless as they were at the beginning.
iii. Family, Instability and Fragmentation:
Mansfield depicts a fractured family, torn apart by death, money, and conflicting desires. The story
explores family structures that no longer adhere to the traditional model of stable Victorian living.
Instead, the pinners are dysfunctional, detached, and fragmented.
iv. Here we have the theme of freedom, control, isolation, uncertainty, paralysis, fear and letting
go.
Constantia and Josephine are not free something that is symbolically noticeable by the fact that
neither woman leaves the family home except to go to the cemetery to bury their father. It is
although both women are imprisoned by their circumstances. Constantia and Josephine are not
married and it appears as if even in his death colonel has total control over both women. It is also
possible that both women’s emotional growth may have been stunted by the fact that the colonel
did not allow either woman to grow as a person. In reality both women’s development may have
been paralysed by the control exerted over them by the colonel. The colonel has dictated the
direction of both Constantia and Josephine’s life and now that he is dead they are uncertain as to
which direction to take. They lack the ability to think independently for themselves.
2
Doll’s House
Symbols:
Doll’s House….Upper class people
Bad Smell…..represents the cruelty of society/all is not right with the Burnells
Little Lamp…represents the hope for the Kelvey’s daughters for the all poor people/ hope and
connection. Kezia wanted to rebel against these social rules and share the light of the lamp—
something that she has been attracted to sine they first received the house with others.
The lamp represents the only small piece of human kindness, the kindness that is only shown by
Kezia, when she invites the Kelveys to see the house. Lil and Else not taking much symbolizes the fact
that neither Lil nor Else have a voice.
Gate…..Represents the social prejudice that Mrs. Burnell ( & others) have towards the Kelveys (the
poor people)
Theme:
A major theme can be that of social class and how it creates barriers that cannot be broken in
society.
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Girl
The structure of Girl is but one small example of Kincaid breaking through the linearity of the canon,
the strictures of traditional culture and forms.
The story deals with the experience of being young and female in a poor country. Kincaid’s
complicated relationship with her mother comes out in mother-daughter dynamic in the story.
Girl consists of a single sentence of advice a mother imparts to her daughter, only twice interrupted
by the girl to ask a question or defend herself.
Character:
The Mother is a mother of a preadolescent daughter and the main speaker in the story. The mother
dispenses a long string of advice to her daughter to teach her how to properly run a household and
live respectably.
The Daughter is a preadolescent daughter who listens to her mother’s speech. The daughter says
little, speaking only to defend herself against her mother’s accusation.
3
Themes:
The Danger of Female Sexuality:
Even though the daughter doesn’t seem to have yet reached adolescence, the mother worries that
her current behavior, if continued, will lead to a life of promiscuity. The mother believes that a
woman’s reputation or respectability determines the quality of her life in the community.
Gender and Domesticity:
Mother (female) instructing daughter (female) how to perform household chores.
Authenticity and femininity: To be feminine often means to embrace modesty, and to privilege good
manners over honesty. The girl is told to learn respectable way of living.
The transformative power of domesticity: The mother believes that domestic knowledge will not
only save her daughter from a life of promiscuity and ruin but will also empower her as the head of
her household and a productive member of the community.

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1

The Daughters of the Late Colonel

i. Patriarchy & Oppression

ii. Ambivalence and Dependency:

iii. Family, Instability and Fragmentation:

Doll’s House….Upper class people

The Danger of Female Sexuality:

Gender and Domesticity:

Mother (female) instructing daughter (female) how to perform household chores.

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