In Jamaica Kincaid's “Girl,” the nameless protagonist is powerless. Her antagonistic mother scolds her by telling her how to act, how to behave, and that she should be worried about things pertaining to the house. "This is how you set a table for tea,...wash the white clothes on Monday...," these are some of the words that were delivered to the main character via her mother. In "Girl," it can be seen that the mother is from a very strict background where women are only valuable when it pertains to domestic trials. I am positive that if the protagonist were to wash her whites on a Tuesday instead of a Monday, her mother would have chest pains.
"Girl," was written in the late 1900's. However, it still relates to situations in modern society. Back then women represented domesticity, and sadly they are still being portrayed that way. Today's representations of social roles can be seen in the form of commercials. In modern day advertisements, women are always cleaning up spills or bringing in groceries. Why can't a man be seen in the Swiffer commercials or the dishwashing liquid commercials ? Men aren't seen in these commercials because society's eyes are trained to see women in these roles. Most individuals would find it quite odd to see a male wiping the counter in one of the many paper towel commercials that adorn television screens.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S62sl-qWEqohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S62sl-qWEqo
Through reading Kincaid's interview, it is revealed that the mother's control can be related to that of England's on the Caribbean islands. The girl represents the islands who are under strict watch by England. England didn't fully believe that the islands could survive by themselves. Even though the antagonist instructs her daughter on what she should and shouldn't do, she doesn't fully believe that her daughter is capable of successfully completing all the duties as she was told. This all ties back into the commercials. By clicking the attached link, one can see what I mean. In the Visa section of the commercials, a woman is seen vacuuming. While she cleans, a male sits on the couch creating a mess. He tells her that she missed a spot while he does nothing but create an even bigger mess. That commercial shows that the man didn't fully believe in the woman's capabilities to vacuum the house. The majority of commercials portray women domestically, not all but most.
I agree with your statement about cleaning commercials usually use a female representative to demonstrate certain items that have to do with the household instead of males. It is a problem with society that goes back many centuries ago and it is still present in this modern era. The mother’s advice on “Girl” seems to represent that social stereotype about the responsibilities of a woman by telling the daughter that she has to know how to cook, clean, iron, etc. I like the way that you presented the information with comedy in the last sentence of the first paragraph. Also, relating the story to the Islands separation from England allowed me to see the historical view of “Girl”.
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