`A Small Place` by Jamaica Kincaid

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A Small Place

Jamaica Kincaid 's A Small Place focuses on her cynical views toward politics , poverty and tourism in Antigua . Kincaid begins by telling the readers about the island 's natural beauty : the sunny sky and warm weather , and the picturesque nature . She then , encourages the reader to look beneath the island 's beauty to discover and get to know the real state of the people and their culture . The reader is addressed as you all throughout the book . Kincaid would like the reader to understand the people 's

poverty and their culture , which is highly influenced by the English colonizers , and the political system riddled with corruption . She challenges the reader to look beyond the natural beauty of the island to discover and acknowledge its ugly side . All throughout the book , the author 's opinions , views , criticisms and comments regarding these three issues are apparent . The author 's narrative is laced with bitterness and sarcasm , particularly when relating about the island 's colonial pasta and the present 's dependence on tourism as a source of income . Kincaid 's tone changes when she recalls memories that are precious to her as a child . But predominantly , she writes with indignation

This will discuss Kincaid 's narrative and criticism against tourism , poverty , and politics through the book 's content , setting theme , major characters , and symbolism

Content

A Small Place is not strictly divided into titled sections . Instead there are four untitled sections that tackle different aspects . In the first section , the narration was about being a hypothetical tourist in Antigua , the author 's birthplace . Antigua is then described as an island of

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great , natural beauty . As a tourist , you only see the beautiful sights and the positive aspects of the people and the island . You don 't program your mind to think of the natives other than the usual warm and welcoming hosts , and as the people to serve your needs . The narrative in this section is laced with insider knowledge , often about the harsh reality that a tourist doesn 't see . These include the poverty of the people , the corruption and unlawful activities of some of the islands mansion owners who Kincaid claims are drug lords , and references to why most of the cars in the island are Japanese made . This section ends at the hotel and the author 's opinion about a tourist 's moral ugliness

In the next chapter , the author brings back memories of the "old island , which she described as a colony of Great Britain . The author highlights the racism in the island and how the locals loved the English culture . One of this section 's main points is the author 's derision against the fuss the people made over Princess Margaret 's visit when Kincaid was just a child . The colonial mentality of the Antiguans was criticized . For the Antiguans , the author says , bad behavior is not bad so long as it was an Englishman who committed it . At the end of...