‘Girl’ is a short story, which portrays a complex romantic relationship between a young woman and an older man. ‘Girl’ was written in 1999 by Hanif Kureishi, an English author. The story revolves around Nicole’s relationship with Majid, where there understandably are some problems present, caused by the huge age gap. Nicole, a woman in the mid-twenties, has had a rough time growing up, after her father committed suicide when she was ten. After the suicide her mother switched from boyfriend to boyfriend, and Nicole was never cared for sufficiently.
However, Nicole is not stupid, and she went to university in London, and chose to leave the dark environment of her childhood, which is astonishing.
The title ‘Girl’ symbolises Majid’s thoughts of his younger girlfriend. In the text it is apparent that Majid sees Nicole as a child and not a fully developed woman. The text reads: ‘You’ve been to university, but things must have changed since my day’ Majid himself values cultural knowledge most of all, which is seen by the thousands of books he owns, and he thinks that young people no longer are interested in themselves.
Because of this Majid does not see her as a woman with beliefs and thoughts, because her cultural knowledge is lacking.
Nicole knows her youth plays a big part in Majid’s love for her. The text reads: ‘Sometimes when he has talking to his friends, she had no idea what they were discussing, and became convinced that if her ignorance didn’t trouble him it was because he valued only her youth’ Nicole is afraid of Majid leaving her when she gets older, as he already left a marriage to love Nicole instead.
Nicole feels like she is in debt to Majid, because she knows how tough it must have been to leave a wife and three children for a younger woman.
It is apparent that Nicole is very afraid of becoming like her mother. The text reads: ‘Nicole didn’t want Majid to think that she – half her mothers age – would resemble her at fifty.’ Nicole is embarrassed by her childhood, and understandably she does not want to go back to the house where she was raised, because of the dark memories associated with that exact house. Moreover, Nicole is afraid of Majid thinking less of her, after meeting her mother and possibly finding some similar traits between Nicole and her mother.
Majid very well knows the strong influence he has over Nicole, and we see that he desires to control some aspects of Nicole’s life. The text reads: ‘Nicole hadn’t wanted to visit her mother after all this time, but Majid, her older lover – it sounded trite calling him her ‘boyfriend’ – had persuaded her to.’ Because Nicole is stronger now – after meeting Majid – he persuades her to reconnect with her mother and face the many suppressed thoughts and memories of the past. Majid does this because he is very aware of the fatherly role he plays in Nicole’s life, and Nicole needs a fatherly figure, because she has lived most of her life without a father.
Remember! This is just a sample.
You can get a custom paper by one of our expert writers.
Get your custom essay
Helping students since 2015
Essay Writing Service Features
Our Experience
No matter how complex your assignment is, we can find the right professional for your specific task. Contact Essay is an essay writing company that hires only the smartest minds to help you with your projects. Our expertise allows us to provide students with high-quality academic writing, editing & proofreading services.
Free Features
Free revision policy
$10Free bibliography & reference
$8Free title page
$8Free formatting
$8How Our Essay Writing Service Works
First, you will need to complete an order form. It's not difficult but, in case there is anything you find not to be clear, you may always call us so that we can guide you through it. On the order form, you will need to include some basic information concerning your order: subject, topic, number of pages, etc. We also encourage our clients to upload any relevant information or sources that will help.
Complete the order form
Once we have all the information and instructions that we need, we select the most suitable writer for your assignment. While everything seems to be clear, the writer, who has complete knowledge of the subject, may need clarification from you. It is at that point that you would receive a call or email from us.
Writer’s assignment
As soon as the writer has finished, it will be delivered both to the website and to your email address so that you will not miss it. If your deadline is close at hand, we will place a call to you to make sure that you receive the paper on time.
Completing the order and download