The message of the short story Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid is that girls need to be taught how to be proper young ladies in order to be successful in life. The protagonist is given a list of chores and instructions by her mother on how to complete them properly. Throughout the story, the protagonist reflects on how she was never taught how to do these things and how she has had to learn through trial and error. The story ends with the protagonist realizing that she will never be able to please her mother and that she will always be seen as a failure in her mother's eyes."