Mothers typically have their children's best interests at heart, guiding them through life in an effort to prevent their offspring from repeating their mistakes. In the short story "Girl", Kincaid describes her adolescence after her mother gave birth to three younger brothers in succession. The psychological perspective of this story raises many questions from critics as to whether or not the mother's state of mind and view of women changed after giving birth to her three children. Kincaid's story amplifies the importance of cultural standards, gender roles, sex and behaviors among Caribbean women. Throughout the story, the speaker introduces herself as the mother and gives her daughter advice in different areas of life, which confuses Kincaid greatly. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay According to Kincaid, in Caribbean culture, there may be more reinforced, rigid, and rigid expectations about gender roles. In the story, Kincaid's Caribbean mother reinforces these ideals by making it clear that she is trying to help Kincaid reach this standard that the mother herself likely grew up with. The mother makes mention of her childhood standards by stating, “Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the pile of rocks,” and goes on to instruct her daughter to wash the colored clothes on Tuesday and let them dry on the clothesline (Kincaid 95). One critic, Carol Bailey, also argues that "Girl" implies that there are certain standards for young Caribbean women. Bailey criticizes how the speaker of Kincaid's story is repetitive when he mentions "the slut you're so determined to become." Carol Bailey explains: "Variations of this expression occur throughout the text and may be one of the seemingly obvious lines that suggest the speaker's complicity with the system and illustrate his efforts to train a woman to carry out the chastity script so appropriate" (109). Oppressive gender roles can also limit a woman's ability to navigate sex and sexuality. In the text, Kincaid's mother states that her daughter walks like a “slut” suggesting, “[O]n Sunday try walking like a lady and not like the whore you are so determined to become” (Kincaid 96). Kelly Falla criticized this argument stating, “The mother thinks her daughter has already set herself up for a life of promiscuity. The mother even goes to the extreme of instructing her daughter on “how to make medicine to throw away a baby before it even becomes a baby.” It is a clear concoction to remedy an unwanted pregnancy” (Fallacy 3). The repeated appearance shaming and its link to promiscuity portray that the mother had internalized issues about her gender's ability to be sexual. The fact that Kincaid's mother knew of a prescription for an abortion confirms that she may have used it herself previously. Throughout the story, the young girl does not seem to fully understand her mother's instructions on how to behave. The daughter reiterates that she doesn't understand speaking in the text. He asks: “but what if the baker doesn't let me taste the bread?” (96). Kincaid ends the story with the mother's vague response to her daughter's question about the sensation of bread: “[You] mean that after all you will really be the kind of woman the baker won't let near the bread? " (96). According to Kim Becnel, “The most obvious meaning of the mother's question is the implication that the girl will, indeed, grow up to be a 'slut' and, therefore, because of her lack of virtue, will be allowed to handle the situation." Becnel goes on to state, "It is,.