Pursuits of Escape from Colonial Gender and Racial Hierarchies Analytical Essay by TemiA
Pursuits of Escape from Colonial Gender and Racial Hierarchies
An exploration of Jamacia Kincaid's Lucy as an analysis of the relationship between the dominant colonizer and the subordinate colonized.
# 153887
| 4,094 words
| 0 sources
| 2013
| 
Published
on Jun 09, 2014
in
English
(Analysis)
, Literature
(General)
, African-American Studies
(General)
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From the Paper:
"Annie is also associated with Lucy's limitations based on gender. Being that they are both women, Lucy expects her mother to understand that she is capable of much more than society asks of her. However, Annie does not see the same promising future for her daughter as she did for her sons (Kincaid, 130). Consistent with her close association with the colonizer, Annie has accepted her gender's assigned subordinate position as strictly a wife and mother. She also does not expect for Lucy to deviate from this position either. While she encourages her daughter to become a nurse, she says a number of negative things about them. "They were: she would never find a man; no man would have her; she carried herself like a strongbox, and from the look on her face a man couldn't find a reason to break in; she had lived alone for so long it was too late to start with a man now" (Kincaid, 93). As her criticisms show, Annie only sees a woman's value in her ability to serve and satisfy a man. An unmarried woman that works for a living somehow becomes undesirable to men, therefore loses her value as a woman. By encouraging her daughter to become a nurse, she acknowledges that her daughter will never gain her value through service of a man. Yet, Lucy resents her mother's wish. She believes that she is capable of achieve a higher position and does not want to be forced to be in awe of someone above her (Kincaid, 92). By rejecting nursing, a traditional feminine occupation, Kincaid encourages the dismissal of Western gender roles and female subordination. Lucy refuses to limit her mobility be accepting strictly gender-specific social positions."Cite this Analytical Essay:
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Pursuits of Escape from Colonial Gender and Racial Hierarchies (2014, June 09)
Retrieved March 23, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/analytical-essay/pursuits-of-escape-from-colonial-gender-and-racial-hierarchies-153887/
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"Pursuits of Escape from Colonial Gender and Racial Hierarchies" 09 June 2014.
Web. 23 March. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/analytical-essay/pursuits-of-escape-from-colonial-gender-and-racial-hierarchies-153887/>