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Trina Roundy

Professor Malouf

World Lit

11.19.18

A Small Place: An Interpretive Analysis II

Jamaica Kincaid’s use of imagery, brute force and symbolism vividly and brilliantly

outline her point of view as an Antiguan during and after the British colonization, in her short

story, A Small Place. Strangely it seems they are just as guilty and evil for leaving as they were

for going there in the first place. Repairs pending reflects the people of Antigua. Their spirits,

their empowerment and the future of their culture. If no one is going to do the repairs for them;

physically and spiritually they have to rely on themselves, the history and the beauty of their

island, which is it’s biggest asset. Repairs Pending. On all levels.

As Elika Edmonds states in her Essay, Choices Change Realities, “Kincaid uses decay

and disrepair symbolically to show indifference of privileged governments toward Antigua. The

very first thing that is seen is the airport and the mayor did not even want his name attached to it.

The road was allowed to crumble “the road on which you are travelling is a very bad road, very

much in need of repair” (Kincaid 5). The library was closed down and a sign was put up stating

“THIS BUILDING WAS DAMAGED IN THE EARTHQUAKE OF 1974. REPAIRS

PENDING” (Kincaid 9). Instead it is in another building to small to put out the books, so they sit

in boxes and get molded and mildew from lack of use. The hospital and school are in the same
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type of condition. These examples are a constant reminder of inequities of post-colonial

transitions. All of these are powerful images of how the government that the hope in Antigua is

gone as well.” (Edmonds)

The Earthquake of 74 was a catalyst of Britain exiting Antigua, as mention, a sign posted:

“This building was damaged in the earthquake of 1974. Repairs are pending.” (Kincaid 42) is

symbolic of her rage over the post-colonial state in which her home, her island, her culture were

affectively destroyed and forever changed at the hands of the British colonizers. Repairs are

pending. But not by the British, not by the Americans; so, who will do the repairing? And more

importantly, how?

Kincaid begins the book bullishly, accusatory of anyone who might have visited Antigua

as a tourist. It enrages her that tourists get to see what they want, and never see what they don’t.

If tourists want the “real” experience, they go to the poverty-stricken areas, to gawk, and look,

and pity, and judge. As the tourists spend their money in the resorts, owned by the rich and the

corrupt, while the people of Antigua work in those resorts – if they are lucky, and barely make

enough to feed their family. Just another form of slavery. “… and it will never occur to you that

the people who inhabit the place in which you have just paused cannot stand you.” (Kincaid 17)

Repairs Pending.

I agree with Kylee Rowley’s interpretation in her essay, Symbolism Of A Tourist- A Small

Place wherein she boldly states,

“Later on in the story the tourist/reader is grateful to have brought their own books on vacation
because the library in Antigua was damaged in the Earthquake a decade prior, the narrator then says “and
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you might see this as a sort of quaintness on the part of these islanders, these people descended from
slaves-what a strange, unusual perception of time they have” (Kincaid,9). This quick glimpse at the
islanders every day of life and what takes place makes the tourist feel as if these people are not educated
because they don't want to be or they feel no need to be. Because if they wanted a library wouldn't they
have one? Kincaid talks about the history of colonization and the after lying affects that it had on the
community once slavery was abolished. Stating judgments a tourist of the colonized western world would
have upon a society that is “free”. I think this order of of tourist thoughts to the narrators facts helps the
reader rid of stereotypes they might’ve had reading the first side of the story.” (Rowley)

Kincaid’s tone softens a bit while describing what it felt like while the English were

there. It felt good. It felt like they were chosen or superior. There was some bitterness,

jealously and awe, when royalty visited, as those parts of the island were made new and beautiful

for the royals to visit. The islanders got better education than others, due to classism and

religious favoritism. They had schools and libraries built. Some thought themselves British.

However, their own culture and history was basically being ignored and cast away to be

forgotten. But some people didn’t forget. The indigenous people were treated so badly and never

called the colonials racists. It was bad manners. It was ignorance. It was not racism. Politics.

Not racism. Personalities. Not racism. Repairs pending.

And then, as bad as when they came… the British left. Left the island with no resources

half their people, no government, no organized systems. They only thing they left was their

British God, and repairs pending. Corrupt leaders, corrupt politics, corrupt governments, all a

result of political game and gain. The owners of Antigua were not Antiguan. The Earthquake

of ’74 destroyed the library. The library stayed destroyed, emblazoned with the sign

proclaiming, “Repairs Pending.” This is heartbreaking as it symbolizes her island and the actual,

tangible library, books and knowledge lost during the occupation. This catastrophe is
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representative of the catastrophe the British brought upon Antigua. So much lost. The loss of the

library signaled a loss of knowledge. A loss of learning and the desire to know. The younger

generation traded the Brits for the Americans, nothing ventured. Nothing gained. Repairs

pending.

The truest emotion does come in the last section of the book. Very much like the first

section, we go back to where we started. Why tourists are so terrible. How they are thieves of

beauty and integrity and dignity. How the look and judge but do not see and understand. The

entire idea of colonialism. A political force coming in, taking over, doing what they want to the

people, raping the resources then leaving the entire culture in shamble and destruction is

absolutely inhumane, as Kincaid alludes to. She painfully talks about the settlement of human

rubbish from Europe (Kincaid 80) and the yokes of slavery ever since. Repairs pending.

Written by Jamaica Kinkaid, A Small Place is a stark look into the life of Antigua – an

Island left in the chaos of the post-colonial period of the mid-20th century. It is a raw narrative

about anger, disgust and despair over how a country like England and other political powers

could do what they did – leaving Antigua and its people with virtually nothing, but a beautiful

island that the rich Americans and Europeans continue to steal.

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Works Cited

Kincaid, Jamaica. A Small Place. New York, Farrar, Straus and Giroux,1988. Paperback.

Edmonds, Elika. Choices Change Realities. SLCC 2018. Essay.

Rowley, Kylie. Symbolism Of A Tourist- A Small Place. SLCC 2018. Essay.