At the Bottom of the River Jamaica Kincaid

The stories focus primarily on female relationships, particularly the mother-daughter relationship. “The images and relationships of and between women dominate the stories”.[11] The stories are told from the perspective of an Afro-Caribbean girl and cover such themes as the mother-daughter relationship, the potency and beauty of nature, the male-female divide, among others. The central theme of the mother-daughter relationship has been viewed by critics as an allegory to the relationship between the colonial masters and their colonies, specifically those in the Caribbean. This metaphor could also be extended to examine the relationship between the strong and the weak, the dominator and the dominated. At the Bottom of the River is deeply steeped with this sort of power struggle[2] particularly from the perspective of a child and how she feels powerless over her environment or how the adult seeks to enforce control over, not only her actions, but also emotions. At the Bottom of the River also challenges traditionally assigned male-female roles, specifically questioning the expected role of women in a post-colonial society. The collection is also potent in highlighting the challenges children face growing up particularly in situations of poverty and the various demands that adults make of them.[7] Perhaps one of the most pervasive themes is the search for identity, as a child, a teenager, a female and independent woman, an Afro-Caribbean, fighting against marginalization and alienation.