Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl" is written in a very distinct style. The story is made up of one very long sentence, with different phrases separated by semicolons, each phrase giving a different piece of advice.
Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry; don’t walk bare-head in the hot sun; cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil; soak your little cloths right after you take them off; [...]
How does the style affect the way the story is read, as opposed to, say, if was made up of phrases separated by periods?
Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap. Wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry. Don’t walk bare-head in the hot sun. Cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil. Soak your little cloths right after you take them off. [...]
How do the semicolons affect the tone of the work, and how it's interpreted? Why specifically this distinct style for "giving advice"?
