Reading Jamaica Kincaid's work on her island of Antigua I couldn't help remembering some childhood experiences. When I was seven years old my life took a turn for the worse when my parents divorced. It so happened that my father was a heroine addict that left my mother with an endless amount of debt and no intentions of providing child support. That forced my mother to go back to living with her parents with two children to care for. That experience left me with a deep sense of how unfair life could be and it made me lash out against the people least responsible for our situation.
The tone of "A Small Place" gives me the sense that Jamaica is projecting some of her frustrations on the audience while remembering her own childhood in Antigua. I can understand her desire to lash out. Maybe it is the only way she feels she can get the attention of the people who can improve the issues of her country. However, I'm of the opinion that anger and bitterness should be aimed at the people most responsible and not at people who only wish to have a good time on their vacation.
