Jamaica Kincaid Lucy

In 1990, a short novel was published entitled “Lucy” by the author Jamaica Kincaid. This book reflected some of the writing style that was used in the book called “A Small Place’; the only difference was that there was less dreamlike and repetitions.

The books that was written in the beginning had a setting that was outside of the Caribbean, but Lucy had similarities to other works that she did with strong references to her native island; this could be described as Kincaid autobiography

The story follows sequence in the writer’s life as it begins with Lucy leaving her home in the West Indies to live in United States. The storyline is a mirror of her own life experiences and Lucy even started working as au pair with a wealthy couple.

The main character was named Lucy Josephine Potter and she shares the same birthday and one of Jamaica Kincaid’s real names. There were other similarities such as homesickness, relationship with her mother and having to live on your own in a strange country.

However, there was a difference in the age as Lucy was nineteen years when she left home. This also led to book to have a mature and skeptical point of view than what was brought out in her earlier fictions.

The story of Lucy recounts tales of a stranger’s experience in the United States and followed in the footsteps of similar literature that was written in the past about immigration to America. Kincaid explored other issues than the immigration in Lucy as there were also the struggles and tensions between a daughter and her mother.

This book reflected less on the confusion with the identity and colonial themes and other issues that were present in her earlier stories. What is present in this book is the fundamental presence of the relationship that she shared with affluent employers, white people, the new surroundings and her native island.

The major theme for this novel is strongly based on Lucy’s life which was focused on her past. The story started with her arriving in the United States, there is no clear idea what caused her to leave home; there were only hints and references of events from her past.

Similar to Kincaid’s life, Lucy was from the Caribbean, there was no mention of her birthplace but based on the references to the island status under the British colony. It could be safe to assume that this was based on the writer’s native island of Antigua. This was all reflected as the character grows and you learn about experiences in Lucy life and her roots.

The plot of Lucy depicts the eagerness for her to leave the island and leave the past behind. There was no indication that she was feeling nostalgic for her home or her childhood, however you could gather that she was felt exploited by issues in her country and influences of the family. The most important theme was the relationship with her mother and how she was escaping to make that transition into adult life.

Jamaica Kincaid Lucy also covers how this young girl manages to make friends and explored her thorny sexuality. When you read this book you will see that there is room for much growth, but it will take you on interesting journey.