Jamaica Kincaid's "Lucy"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the protagonist in Jamaica Kincaid's "Lucy", especially the way her anger affects her relationships with the people who love her. The author points out that these relationships are hindered both by Lucy's uncertainty of what she wants and by the anger that constantly seems to be bubbling under the surface. The paper discusses the relationships between Lucy and her mother, Lucy and Mariah, and Lucy and Peggy.

From the Paper:

"When Lucy comes to the United States, her life takes a dramatic turn. All of the things that she once understood and had taken for granted have changed. On the morning of her first day in the United States, that point is illustrated quite clearly for her. The simple assumption that the shining sun equals warmth no longer has any validity. She is forced to acknowledge that she no longer lives in a tropical zone. This realization comes upon her: like a flow of water dividing formerly dry and solid ground, creating two banks, one of which was my past--as familiar and predictable that even my unhappiness then made me happy now just to think of it--the other my future, a gray black and overcast seascape on which rain was falling and no boats were in sight."

More papers on Jamaica Kincaid's "Lucy":

• Comparison Essay # 104721 : "Young Women Coming of Age in Jamaica"
• Analytical Essay # 126940 : "Anna K. and Lucy: Women Seeking Autonomy"
• Analytical Essay # 34120 : "Lucy" - Contrasting Perceptions of the Same Reality"

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