Jamaica Kincaid's short story "Girl" is simply a story that involves a mother and daughter in a seemingly one-way conversation. And through this conversation, the reader is left to discover the conflict underlying mother's words. Though this story is not simply written, there is an apparent conflict between the two characters in the story and the "Girl" is in fact Kincaid herself.
The story defies conventional story writing as it lacks a specific plot and little character development. One can even say that the girl is flat and lacks little detail. Also missing from the story is a specific setting. The only thing that can be gathered from the story about the setting itself is the time period in which the story occurs. From the dialogue in the story, it's easy to assume that the story takes place before the 1980's. This assumption can be backed by the apparent obedient and house keeping role of the woman describe in the story. The social setting in which Kincaid grew up in was obviously one in which the wife stayed home and took care of the house, children, and husband which translates into the story.
The story creates two very distinct characters, a nagging mother and her daughter. "Kincaid sat at the typewriter in her Hudson Street apartment and attempted to recreate her mother's voice in its first fictionalized incarnation" (Paravisini-Gebert 51). During the story the mother makes it clear to the daughter that a woman's sole purpose in life is to wait on man and ensure his happiness. The story also uses the mother's voice as way to deliver instructions to her daughter in a nagging manner. Kincaid must have been thinking about her own experience as a young girl. .
The mother in Kincaid's story seems to be very cautious and protective of her daughter. She wants her to grow up and know how to perform household duties correctly and perform them well. She takes on the responsibility of making her daughter the kind of woman that is acceptable to society.