Several times throughout, the mother chides her daughter against becoming “the slut you are so bent on becoming” (Kincaid 914). Assuming the daughter is rather young here as she plays marbles frequently, the word choice of “slut” is evocative and threatening. It is more than mere guidance, it plays up sexuality as evil. In other words, the mother scold her daughter for being the “kind of woman who the baker won't let near the bread” (Kincaid 915). This is important because it highlights femininity isn’t just corrupt of its own but also due to its sociocultural connotations. To be openly sexual is to defy social norms, to be an outcast, and to virtually be a citizen
Several times throughout, the mother chides her daughter against becoming “the slut you are so bent on becoming” (Kincaid 914). Assuming the daughter is rather young here as she plays marbles frequently, the word choice of “slut” is evocative and threatening. It is more than mere guidance, it plays up sexuality as evil. In other words, the mother scold her daughter for being the “kind of woman who the baker won't let near the bread” (Kincaid 915). This is important because it highlights femininity isn’t just corrupt of its own but also due to its sociocultural connotations. To be openly sexual is to defy social norms, to be an outcast, and to virtually be a citizen