In this interview between Jamaica Kincaid and Allen Vorda the author offers her explanation of the meaning behind her story. She explains that the mother is powerful and the child is powerless. She goes on to talk about the skepticism the mother has that the daughter will be a self-possessed woman. I think that this describes the relationship between mothers and daughter where the mother is trying to teach the daughter skills and behaviors she thinks are important. The daughter then processes the information and decides whether to apply it or not.