Jamaica Kincaid's Lucy And Miley Cyrus

In Jamaica Kincaid’s novel, Lucy, the title character has similar traits to the pop singer and former child star, Miley Cyrus; both are young women fighting the pressure to conform to the societal standards for women. Lucy and Cyrus live lives that differ from the conventional views of women. Both women embrace their sexuality and do not always agree with the traditional gender roles. Cyrus expressed her feelings towards conforming in her 2010 song, “Can’t Be Tamed”, in which she pleads, “Don’t change me.” She has continued to voice her opinions through controversial stunts, such as her 2013 “Wrecking Ball” music video, in which she appears naked. Although Lucy’s life is not nearly as public as Miley Cyrus’, the people in Lucy’s circle can easily see how Lucy rejects the guidelines her society expects her to follow.
When Lucy first began working for Lewis and Mariah, Lewis tried to get her to behave more like his wife. During dinner one evening he passed comments in attempt to make Lucy smile and laugh. “I didn’t laugh, though, and Lewis looked at me, concern on his face” (Kincaid 14). During this period of time, the 1960s, women were expected to be “seen not heard.” Lucy finds that concept ridiculous. She displays these feelings again during her first encounter with Paul. “The voice of the girl my mother
For generations the popular opinion for couples has been for the male to be taller than the female. However, Lucy disagrees with this. “It looks better when a woman is a little taller than her husband” (Kincaid 47). She prefers men who are shorter than her because she likes to be the dominant partner in a relationship. This is different from a typical girl’s taste in men because often times girls want to feel protected by their partner. Lucy feels strong enough to take care of herself. She is a free spirit and does not like when she is patronized or looked down