“For the language of the criminal can only contain the goodness of the criminal’s deed. The language of the criminal can explain and express the deed only from the criminal’s point of view. It cannot contain the horror of the deed, the injustice of the deed, the agony, the humiliation inflicted on me.” (Kincaid 32)
Kincaid uses juxtaposition several times across the first half of his novel to illustrate the duality of Western imperialism. This is seen in his descriptions of snobbish and elitist Europeans who judge Caribbean natives for their differences. This is seen in the ugliness of Western cities in comparison to the natural features of Antigua. This is also seen in the quality of food, water, sanitation, and healthcare provided to Westerners and non-Westerners.
One of the most interesting points Kincaid brings up is the “cleverness” of the Western colonizer. Unlike the bountiful lands of the Caribbean, mainland European countries and large North American states suffer from drought and resource scarcity. Native Americans and Caribbeans have found a way to coexist with nature (through twine-weaved clothes and unconventional waste management). Until Kincaid brought it up, I didn’t even realize that I thought twine-woven clothes and taking a dump in a hole in the Earth were ugly. Objectively speaking, however, such practices are much more natural and closer in harmony to nature itself. This difference in values has effectively led the Western colonizer to consume more than it can produce, creating resource scarcity. Thus, through cleverness and deception, Western narratives of colonization for the improvement of lesser nations were developed–all for the sake of capturing more resources for our consumption.
-Chris
A very well thought out post-Chris! My post was very similar to yours and I agree with your statement that even though colonizers thought the places they invaded were backward, it turns out that their simple way of living is more consonant with the environment and there is more mutualism to be seen in their interactions with the environment than with us in ours. The egocentrism involved in colonialism and tourism as a relic of that is what draws out such strong language from Kincaid and, in my opinion, demands it to criticize those in the past that were brazen enough to do so and to chastise and disabuse any in the present who may not appreciate that the full extent of that history.