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“Slut” and “lady” are the narrative’s two descriptors of the kind of woman the girl could become. This contrast suggests that there are only two modes of being a woman, and though Mother’s instructions are designed to help the girl become a “lady,” it’s clear that she believes that the smallest social error can transform the girl into a “slut.” Traditionally, a “slut” is a promiscuous woman, but Mother, whose voice dominates the narrative, never mentions sex. Instead, “slut” is a catch-all term that describes a woman who does not know how to behave in social settings. Mother invokes the threat of becoming a slut when telling the girl how to walk, how to tend to the hemlines on her dresses, and how to behave around strange men. Thus, it seems that every aspect of a woman’s life—her presence in public space, her clothing choices, and her speech—is touched by sexuality, even if she has no intention of being sexy.
Slut Quotes in Girl
The Girl quotes below all refer to the symbol of Slut. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Girl Quotes
On Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming.
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This advice is part of Mother’s instructions on how to behave in Sunday school, but it is also interspersed with advice on how to eat (so as not to “turn someone’s else’s stomach”) and where to eat (not on the streets, due to flies). Natural acts, such as walking and eating, become complicated by mother’s insistence that there are proper ways to do them. This makes walking less of a natural movement and more of an act of performance. The simile “walk like a lady” suggests imitation, though Mother is never clear about what a “lady” is or how one Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem
This is how to hem a dress when you see the hem coming down and so to prevent yourself from looking like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming.
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Mother includes this advice in the form of a barbed insult among instructions on how to sew. The tone is sly, starting off in the form of generally helpful tips on tailoring, then descending into personal contempt for the girl’s appearance. Mother instills the expectation that the girl will follow gender-specific behavior by wearing a dress—a clothing item that signifies femininity—but insists that the hem of the dress be maintained so that the girl does not look like a “slut,” though Mother finds this inevitable anyway. The hemline is symbolic of the line that separates proper expressions of femininity from Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit.
This is how you smile to someone you don’t like too much; this is how you smile to someone you don’t like at all; this is how you smile to someone you like completely; this is how you set a table for tea; this is how you set a table for dinner; this is how you set a table for dinner with an important guest; this is how you set a table for lunch; this is how you set a table for breakfast; this is how to behave in the presence of men who don’t know you very well, and this way they won’t recognize immediately the slut I have warned you against becoming.
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Mother’s advice on behavior follows her guidance on how to maintain a household and garden. Presentation is key, even if it means rejecting authenticity. Natural signs, such as smiling—a way to express happiness—become ways of masking one’s true emotional state. Furthermore, there are degrees of smiling, ways of portioning out politeness and presenting different modes of being for different people, just as one would set a table differently for different meals or teatimes. It is especially important not to offer too much of oneself to strange men. Mother insists that the girl must behave in a particular way around men Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum
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Slut Symbol Timeline in Girl
The timeline below shows where the symbol Slut appears in Girl. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Girl
...to walk like a lady so that people will not think that she is the slut that Mother is certain she will become.
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...to her hemlines because, if they come down too far, she will “[look] like the slut” Mother is certain she will become.
(full context)
