Introduction
Analysis of the cultural context reveals the society in which the characters live in and how the culture shapes their behaviors, presents and limits their opportunities as well as the values and attitudes adopted by the characters and how they are acquired. An examination of Girl by Jamaica Kincaid and Pilon by Sandra Cisneros shows the diversity of cultures and how it shapes women from their childhood as they develop into adulthoods. The short stories focus on the tradition of women sexual orientation in the context of their families and cultural stipulations defined by society for them to follow.
In the Girl, Kincaid discusses the culture in Antigua in the 1980s presented in the form of instructions from a mother to her daughter. The cultural setting presented in the story shows that girls are passive recipients and expected to live according to the set guidelines and parental instructions. In her narration, Kincaid highlights the demands of culture, thoughts, and moral beliefs in the time of her mother. The story shows that the culture of the society has high expectations of a girl born in the community in taking care of the home, the fulfillment of duties to the husband in marriage and the children born thereof. The mother offers instructions on how to wash clothes showing the culture in keen on cleanliness. The perception is also keen on the development of good morals and behaviors as the mother cautions the daughter to walk like a lady on Sunday and avoid eating fruits on the street to evade being followed by flies. The cultural context on families shows expectations on marriage, acceptance of abortion, and divorce in that society. The mother teaches the girl how to make functional medicine to throw a child before it is a child. She also tells the daughter on how she should love a man and informs her it is okay to give up if the marriage fails to work. The story, therefore, shows a context where women live in a society of traditions and cultural expectations.
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Sandra Cisneros, in Pilon, discusses culture by focusing on women transformation in the cultural context. From her memories, Cisneros conjures a narrative of her imagination of what she was, what she has become, and what she hoped to be as a woman limited by cultural constraints. She describes the cultural setting of small girls before puberty. According to Cisneros, society view young girls as children and is therefore compassionate towards them with little expectations and burdens. She describes a time where they cease to exist in body but exists as spirits based on the short attention that society gives them at a young age. They are left to be, with no men glaring at their bodies. Their culture at the age is tolerant and leaves them happy and fulfilled. However, as puberty knocks in, the culture has a physical and emotional reaction to her growth, and she goes on to describe her ethnic reaction as an immigrant. She describes the changes using scattered thoughts which focus on her experiences on taste, the beach, the smells, and the noises. She, therefore, becomes more aware of her cultural expectations as she matures.
Conclusion
The stories show differences in cultural beliefs and practices which shape behaviors, attitudes, and practices. In Girl, the culture is keener on women from an early age and instills opinions, thoughts, and methods of womanhood. On the other hand, in Pilon, the culture is flexible allowing a smooth transition of girls to women. Cisneros brings out the experience of being a young girl and maturing to the world as an emigrant to experience the new cultural beliefs, expectations, and practices.
