A Small Place Essay Questions

How does Kincaid's use of the second-person "you" perspective influence the reader's experience of this book?

By addressing her book to "you," Kincaid speaks directly to readers. Her words are meant to make readers uncomfortable about their own role in perpetuating inequality in the post-colonial world; though her white, middle-class, North American and European readers may not have been involved in colonialism and oppression of Antiguans, certain behaviors like tourism are still damaging, and it is important for readers to be aware of their own ignorance.

How is the idea of nostalgia explored in this book?

Nearly all of the individuals spoken about in this text are nostalgic for some kind of old Antigua, though these "old Antiguas" differ. The white foreigners that have remained in Antigua are nostalgic for the colonial period, when things were orderly and their superiority went unquestioned under British rule. Kincaid, however, feels two forms of nostalgia: nostalgia for her simpler childhood, when she was unaware of the racism and oppression that permeated her daily life, and nostalgia for an Antigua she has never known, one not torn apart by colonialism. She feels guilty about her nostalgia for her childhood, knowing that many of the things she enjoyed then, like the library, were colonialist institutions meant to keep the British in power.

This is a work of nonfiction, but Kincaid writes it using narrative, stylistic prose. How does this authorial choice affect the piece?

Because Kincaid writes with beautiful figurative language and a scattered, stream-of-consciousness prose style, it is easy to forget that A Small Place is a nonfiction account of her own life experiences. This type of language allows readers to become fully immersed in the Antigua of past and present, painting clear pictures that force them to vividly imagine the events and individuals she speaks about. It is important because readers are meant to empathize with the plight of modern-day Antigua, and this is only possible if readers are kept engaged and immersed in the struggles of the local people whom Kincaid narrates.

Why is Kincaid worried about democracy in present-day Antigua?

Kincaid is frustrated that the people of Antigua continue to elect corrupt, dishonest government officials even though they are now independent, and have the chance to make positive choices in their own governance. She worries that democracy is already crumbling in newly democratic Antigua, because Antiguans are electing to keep the same people and families in power for decades without supporting any serious opposition.

Is there a clear protagonist and antagonist in this text? Why or why not?

Because this is an account of her life, Kincaid is the obvious protagonist, along with other local black Antiguans who call the island home. The antagonist, however, shifts from section to section, and by the end of the book Kincaid acknowledges that the lines have been blurred. In the first section, the ignorant white tourist is the antagonist, turning Antiguans' mundane and impoverished daily lives into a source of pleasure and entertainment. Later the antagonists become the British colonialists, all the way back to the era of slavery when Europeans were slave masters carting in ships full of Africans to serve them. Once the formal layers of "master" and "slave" have been cast off, however, good and evil becomes less distinct.