Thus even the process of reclaiming ones identity is subject to the conditions imposed by colonial oppression.
While the book certainly touches upon some of the lingering and seemingly intractable problems associated with colonial oppression, there is also glimpses into how human beings are able to transcend these problems and carve out their own identity; even without an adequate understanding of their roots. We see for example, how Lucy misses her life in Antigua, even though it represents and existence that was constantly stifling her and preventing her from reaching her true potential as a woman. As she implies, this is because while Antigua represents a more restrictive existence compared to her experiences in America, the bonds of family which were forged on the island, are not easily broken (Kincaid, 6). Her experiences in the United States, while liberating and interesting, fail to elicit the same deep emotional connections she had experienced back home (132). So even though Antigua was plagued by both a past colonial oppression, and a modern lack of development and progress, the development of a unique culture within that context became valuable in its own right. Considering that, it would seem that the book presents us with a kind of "reverse...
While she may be content for a while, the book hints at the possibility that there will always be a part of her that is never whole while living in the free but atomized and lonely reality of the United States. This shows us how uprooting someone can have devastating effects on their psyche. If Lucy feels this sort of angst after making a voluntary decision to move to America, one can only imagine at the sort of cognitive destruction that would hit someone being forcibly relocated to a foreign land and being forced to toil as a slave until death.
In the end then, the story of Lucy is analogous to the story of all those touched by colonial oppression, especially her ancestors who were likely not only physically removed from their land, but mentally removed from their historical cultural experiences. As Lucy's own experience shows, one can not sever ties which have grown organically over lifetimes, and replace them with new ones, at least not without profound consequences that can potentially last generations.
Works Cited
Kincaid, Jamaica. Lucy. Macmillan, 2002. Print.
Tyson, Lois. Critical theory today.…
