FREE ESSAY ON WHAT MEANS WHAT

WHAT MEANS WHAT

Rudy Yurkovich
Who Said What Means
Ask yourselves these questions before you read Kincaid's "Girl", Do you know what a
housewife is, being a student or child, getting advice from an elder, and being called
something that you are not? What is this story's about is it a story at all or just a
poem in essay form? What kind of mood are you in right now to decipher this story in your
own words? The story depends on the mood you are in and change the whole perception of
this story. Then again, isn't that what writing is about to begin with? Interpret the
story as Mr. Hass told us to do, I did, but I analyzed it as a poem looking for an
underlying meaning. There had to be much more than what there than what was told to us. I
had a totally different perception. After the discussion, it seemed relevant for me to
understand the story in a different way. But, I thought it was a mother to daughter talk.
The "daughter talk" (my interpretation of the narration) was commands that her mom was
saying. The advice told to her was not to become a slut, which was repeated several times
in this story. But the question I ask you is, this present situation in the girl's life,
or was it a recollection of one that she had before with her mother?
Is this story taking place in present time or in the past? It could be in the present
with a young girl but I also came to the conclusion that this could be in the past and
the italicized words could keep repeating in her mothers forgotten speech. Now is when
she needs her mothers comfort and not only that what she wished at the time of the talk.
In the other perspective though it could be in the present time and just be recalled by
the narrator to opens one's imagination to make them draw their own conclusions.
Is story a poem or is it a story, isn't this story just a page with sentences making
thoughts about a person to another person. Well that is what I got out of it and now I
can only get more confused thinking of it, the story is so broad anyone's interpretation
could be perceived as correct. Not only that the story can change with each person, it
also changes with the readers mood at that point time, not only that try to analyze it
and your mind just wonders with the choices that Kincaid gives you. Besides that
interpret it after all the thoughts thrown around in class.
After reading the story I thought about it, and all the statements that were discussed. I
sat back and tried to figure it all out. I came to the conclusion that the mother was
upset at something that the girl had done. It could have been the first time the girl had
a boyfriend, or maybe it was something a little more serious. For instance it seems like
the mother is real hyper and frustrated at something. She keeps reprimanding the girl and
saying, "Don't become a slut and don't become a troublemaker, especially singing your
music in church" (Kincaid p. 430). But, the girl defends herself in the first italicized
print saying "I don't sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday school" (p. 430).
Saying, "No mom I do not do what you might think I do ever and never in the house of God"
(p. 430). This could be related to religion but I don't think religion has anything
really significant to do in the story. There is a sentence in the story that makes me
feel the way I do about it.
Religion might or might not be relevant in the story. I am leaning towards not being
relevant because it is such a broad subject for such a short story. I just wasn't to
touch on something like sex, which is all over the bible with premarital sex and with
being sinners in general. Meaning nothing more than what common man is sinners and that
is bringing her mother not to become something that will be regretful and can't be taken
back. Meaning that whatever she does do she might look back at it and not have the same
feeling like she did before whatever she did at that time. It is more just good parenting
on the mother's side than anything else might be. Showing that tender loving care that a
parent should have but with the sterness to make her think twice in the event of a
situation brought upon her. Knowing what the mother has said and the outcome of the story
I think strongly that she will think righteously.
In closing the girl seems not to be what the mother makes her out to be. I believe the
ending has a double meaning with a sexual connotation in it dealing with the baker and
the baker's bread. My interpretation, the daughter will uphold her mother and father's
honor. In summary the mother is reprimanding the daughter for something that wasn't
actually done. The daughter says something at the end to the mother. The mother is
stunned with the reaction, giving the daughter a cleared name and New Hope. With the
final conclusion ending up being that mother is narrating the story. Leaving the story so
braid the interpretations is one's own personal view and also one's mood that day. This
story is one that I can strongly say everyone can relate to with your parents lecturing
on some subject either it is for the good or for the bad it is hard to tell. You can tell
me your interpretation on the narrator and or the daughter situation. It would maybe shed
more light on the confusion that I have in this story. Having all the different choices
you and I could make between the narrators who in it what they are trying to say and what
they mean when they say what.