"Small Place": Jamaica Kincaid

Monday. February 17. 2014

“A Small Place”: Jamaica Kincaid

        “Antigua is a small island that was settled by Christopher Columbus in 1493. Not too long after, it was settled by human rubbish from Europe, who used enslaved but noble and exalted human beings from Africa” (A Small Place 80-81). Antigua became self-governing in 1967, but did not achieve the status of an independent nation within the Commonwealth until 1981. Born on the island of Antigua, Jamaica Kincaid has become one of the most influential and important authors of post colonial writing today. In " A Small Place", Kincaid attempted in this work reflect or articulate the own identity, the identity of a native of the island of Antigua, demanding an authentic past to replace the unavoidable oppression imposed and suffered from the arrival of the English settlers. Kincaid begins the story by describing what the reader might see and think as a visitor to Antigua. Kincaid in the story criticizes the way that people are acting in Antigua. Her attitude towards the visiting Princess Margaret is reminiscent of the child in the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes. As an adult, the same criteria which Kincaid saw through the pomp of the royal visit is turned on the island at large. In describing the violence of colonial conquest, Kincaid emphasizes a fundamental loss of security and belonging, using the word “orphan” to describe the colonial situation. She speaks bitterly of the corruption of the government and the passivity of the people, but the main force of her anger is directed toward the English who colonized Antigua. She describes herself as so angry about England’s crimes that she cannot support to hear England praised. Also her anger toward tourists is slightly less intense and is focused on the ignorance required of people to enjoy themselves in a desperately poor place. She is astonished that more Antiguans don’t share her outrage and is frustrated by their apparent acceptance of their status. As the resentment of the adult, Kincaid reveals that she remains deeply attached to her home and to her people. However, where I, as a reader, slipped easily into the role of tourist at the beginning of the story. I quickly felt uncomfortable, guilty, even for something that I had neither prior knowledge. 

Throughout "A Small Place", especially in the final section, Kincaid makes an illustration of Antigua’s natural beauty. She describes the intense colors of the nature, the sunlight, and the sea. The idea of unreality, that she mentions, is part of what she sees as the effect of the island’s beauty on those who live or travel there. Kincaid ‘s work, A Small Place, evidence the search of Caribbean identity, amid the need to overcome past traumas, resisting the imposition of a culture, language and customs by settlers, seeking its individuality through language, and also promoting reconciliation of each other’s existence on equal terms. Through “A Small Place”, Kincaid writes a history of truth and understanding. She wishes to break all cultural boundaries of racism and colonialism, in order to make of Antigua an autonomous place. 

References: 
- http://www.neiu.edu/~circill/lopez/mcs225/weekxismall.pdf

-http://www.postcolonialweb.org/caribbean/kincaid/bongiorni2.html
- books.google.com.pr/books?isbn=1592134130

- books.google.com.pr/books?isbn=0520230213
- http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/smallplace/summary.html