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Author Jamaica Kincaid writes for `a common humanity'

"I have written about the relations between mothers and children, and now I am also speaking about the powerful and the powerless," said Jamaica Kincaid, in an interview before her reading at the Michigan Union on Monday. This is an appropriate summary of the themes in her latest novel, "The Autobiography of My Mother" (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $20).

The book is narrated by Xuela Claudette Richardson, a 70-year-old West Indian woman who is reflecting back on the events of her life. It is a plain and understated account of class conflicts and family tragedies, dating from the very beginning of Xuela's life: "Who was I? My mother died at the moment I was born. This fact of my mother dying at the moment I was born became a central motif of my life."

Kincaid stated that this novel is less autobiographical than her previous two novels, and is based more on her mother's life. However, it is not a marked departure from her other work.

"The way I write is as a continuation of all the things I have written. I develop ideas from book to book and expand on them; I understand them more and more from book to book. It is not a new aspect of a theme -- the theme becomes more elaborate."

However, the character of Xuela will surely make "Autobiography" stand out among Kincaid's books. From childhood on, Xuela is relentlessly independent and self-sufficient, which is reflected in both her troubled family life and in her need to escape from her class and gender divided society.

As she says, "I refused to belong to a race, I refused to accept a nation. ... Am I nothing, then? I do not believe so, but if nothing is a condemnation, then I would love to be condemned." Xuela's self-reliance is admirable, but it's difficult to describe her as a likable character.

"I find it a very curious thing for a reader to require that a character be sympathetic," Kincaid responded to this idea. "What could disturb a reader about Xuela is that she is unflinching, she does not disguise things, but I rather like that in a person. I doubt very much I could be so preoccupied with a person I didn't have so much admiration and affection for."

No matter how readers judge the character of Xuela, it is clear that her life story is fascinating, both in itself and as a reflection of her culture. For example, Xuela's father is a character who disappears and reappears in the narrative, and Xuela is never sure of her exact feelings toward him. His power over Xuela, and her rebellion against that power, could be read as symbols of the relationship between the West Indies and those who colonized them.

Another contrast is that, while the island of Dominica is poetically described as a beautiful and fertile place, Xuela is the only character who does not have children. This decision is due to her own lack of a mother, to her rejection of a traditional woman's role, and to her knowledge of how badly women and children are treated in her society. Kincaid praised this viewpoint, stating, "I think one should always try to subvert the power structure. There's always something to subvert."

One of the novel's most intriguing aspects is that, despite its symbolism and exact prose, the events of the story take place in an unspecified and barely hinted-at era.

"I'm very uninterested in pinning things down," Kincaid said, in an attempt to explain this particular technique. "What I want to write about are human events and human experiences, and the things that are happening within human beings do not depend on any century. There are the same relationships from 500 years ago to now, the same imbalances of power and justice."

Kincaid believes that literature further demonstrates this idea, since it can be appreciated by everyone. As an example, she said, "I read `Jane Eyre' as a child, and I totally loved it and totally identified with it. I did not think about the race difference at all, and I think that's very natural. I think it proves that there is a common humanity, and we all can recognize it in each other; you don't have to look like someone to have them inspire you."