Comparative Essay
The setting of a story is very important and plays a major role in the entire story’s development. Depending on where you stand, the setting of a story can determine the tone and mood and be symbolic. Although the setting in Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” differs from “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, the two stories are similar and differ in some perspectives. The settings in these two stories remain the same throughout the story. “The Lesson” takes place in New York City-Harlem, an African-American neighborhood, as the students visit F. A. O. Schwarz. In contrast, “Girl” is set in the Caribbean’s Antigua, as can be told from the foods -pumpkin fritters, salt fish, okra, dasheen – being mentioned by one of the characters. In both stories, the authors use setting to shape the plot, characters, and point of view to enable readers to visualize and experience how society shapes individuals’ characters.
During infancy, children realize and appreciate the composition of the world around them as they see and experience several factors that impact their everyday lives to become stronger in adulthood. The characters in “Girl” by Kincaid and “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara learn important life-lessons that would help them to become responsible individuals in adulthood. In “The Lesson,” Sugar learns that society is unjust, presenting unequal opportunities and inequality to individuals. She says, “I think . . . that this is not much of a democracy if you ask me. Equal chance to pursue happiness means an equal crack at the dough, don’t it?” (Bambara 452). This indicates the inequity of American society and which does not aptly reflect the democratic principles on which the country was founded. In “Girl,” the main character realizes that she must become an ideal woman in society and not a ‘slut’. Her mother outlines what she must do, such as proper cooking and washing clothes, to survive the world as a woman. The lessons learned by the characters in the two stories help them become stronger and responsible individuals in society.
The point of view from which a story is told is important in building the view of contemporary society in the reader’s mind. The events in “The Lesson,” are perceived through Sylvia. Sylvia portrays a wider view of her community by indicating certain cultural practices of the time. This is shown by Miss Moore having her hair ‘nappy’ in an era when many Africa American women had their hair straightened. The importance of religion in society is also highlighted when other adults dislike the fact that Miss Moore does not attend church services. I the “Girl,” there is no conventional action, and as such, there is no narrator conventionally. The mother delivers a speech from her first-person point of view when she says, “the slut I know you are so bent on becoming” and “the slut I have warned you against becoming.” The mother’s speech is directed to her daughter, which helps to provide the importance of the mother-daughter relationship in the community. Both stories enable readers to visualize the nature of society.
Miss Moore is determined to shape her pupils’ characters by identifying a venue for a field trip, hoping to give them a better experience of their environment. She uses her college knowledge to expose and teach the students about the society in which they live. The field trip’s venue helps Sugar realize that there are better ways of leading a life apart from the one she and her friends lead. Sugar tells her teacher that “You know, Miss Moore, I don’t think that all of us here put together eat in a year what that sailboat costs” (Bambara 452). Through this, Sugar realizes that people lead better lives than they do and can change their lives through education. In “Girl,” the teacher is the mother of the narrator, and she delivers a bundle of advice to her daughter that would help her run a house of her own. The timing of the conversation is important since the daughter is just in her teens. The daughter realizes that there are fundamental ways to carry out herself to become an ideal woman. The mother opens her daughter’s eyes by advising and scolding her at the same time when she says, “the slut I know you are so bent on becoming.” The lessons learned by the main characters in the two stories help them appreciate their society.
In conclusion, it can be argued that the role of the setting in the development of a story is immeasurable. While stories can exhibit varied settings, the setting can explain different themes and build the characters as the story progresses. A story can also allude to contemporary society by how it is presented.
Works cited
Kincaid, Jamaica. “Girl.” The vintage book of contemporary American Short Stories, edited by
Tobias Wolff, Vintage, 1994.
Bambara, Toni Cade. “The Lesson.” Gorilla, My Love. New York: Vintage Contemporaries,
1992.