A Small Place Themes

Jamaica Kincaid’s A Small Place paints a portrait of Antigua shortly after it achieved independence and self-rule from Great Britain. For over three centuries, the island existed as a British colony, and for more than half that time, the English planter and traders exploited enslaved people. A Small Place has little sympathy for Antigua’s former colonizers, acidly pointing out the way colonizers commodified the human beings whom they enslaved, built massive amounts of…

Because Antigua existed for most of its history as a British colony and as a site where planters and traders exploited the labor of enslaved people, it provides fertile ground to explore racial dynamics between the descendants of enslaved people (the “native” Antiguans) and white people, including former colonial overlords, foreign nationals, and tourists. The book examines how slavery and colonialism shaped the national psyche of Antigua, instilling deference in its citizens toward those who…

A Small Place paints a detailed portrait of the tiny island nation of Antigua, which comprises a mere 108 square miles—an area roughly a third the size of New York City. Because the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean further isolate Antigua from other places, the book describes it as a veritable prison, enclosing its inhabitants literally and through the weight of its long and difficult history. People trapped in a small place, the book…

A Small Place describes both the beauty of Antigua and the rot and corruption that characterize its government and society. Government ministers engage in illegal activities and self-dealing, while racism and white supremacy poison relationships between native Antiguans, tourists, and the foreign nationals who live at the Mill Reef Club or finance real estate developments elsewhere on the island. Early in the book, the narrative voice of Jamaica Kincaid tells the reader, as a tourist…