The Short Story, Girl

Culture is a subject that involves every living human being that lives in the world. People all around the earth are divided amongst themselves, and form a diversion of cultures. Depending on peoples outlook and interests on life, it is possible determine the type of culture they are in. The definition of culture is: cul·ture (klchr) n. The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought. Throughout a person’s life, the learning of the individual gains their behavior patterns and characteristics from the people they are around. Therefore, if an individual is told continuously to do a command, he/she will gain a sense of a cultural understanding.

In the short story Girl, the mother commands her daughter incessantly to do certain tasks. This gives the girl a sense of understanding of what is expected of her. The girl will eventually understand this is the culture that her mother is bringing her up to be. A person is more vulnerable as a young girl or boy, because they are just learning how things work. Starting from a younger age, can give a greater sense of knowledge of your culture, and can help build a strong foundation. For that reason, this is why many people form culture groups; to strengthen there arts, beliefs, and organizations. Family is a strong foundation of culture, and it keeps an establishment of repetition throughout the family’s culture. In order to keep a strong foundation in one’s culture, there must be a desire to learn the expectations of the society. In the text, the mother commands and teaches her daughter the culture that she was most likely brought up to be when she was a young girl. A quote from the text states, “Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry; don’t walk bare head in the hot sun; cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil; soak your little cloths right after you take them off; when buying cotton to make yourself a nice blouse, be sure that it doesn’t have gum on it, because that way it wont hold up well after a wash, soak salt fish overnight before you cook; is it true you sing benna in Sunday school?” (Girl 313) This gives the reader a logical explanation on how the mother strictly instructs her child to follow these expectations. The girl will have the option to either concur with the advice her mother has given her, or to merely deny her guidance. The writer wants the reader to realize that all of these commands are a part of this mother’s culture, and she is passing these beliefs and traditions down to her daughter. The decision is primarily up to the girl to accept or deny the advice her mother has given her daughter. This short story really gives the reader a good inquiry to wonder if her mother’s advice was expressed in a negative or positive way towards the girl. Room for debate is acceptable in this setting, because depending on the culture; the mother’s care towards the girl may vary.

Evidently at the end of the short story, the girl shows an emotion of dispute. The mother informs her daughter, “Always squeeze bread to make sure it’s fresh.” She talks back to her mother and says, "but what if the baker won’t let me feel the bread?” The mother replies, “you mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker won’t let near the bread?” (Girl 314) As the reader, this shows me that her mother always wants her to have the finest. Yet the girl tried to debate with her mother, she snapped right back at her daughter. The girl’s mom became instantly outraged that through all of her teachings, the girl was going to settle herself for the bottom of the barrel. The author had a great insight on building the story up with a great deal of cultural expectations, and finishing it all with dissatisfaction.