In a small
place, Jamaica Kincaid presents two contrasting images: the tourist and the
native. She describes the tourist as a hideous human being that has grown tired
and weary of their ordinary lives, which brought them to visit such a place as
Antigua in order to escape their mundane lives. These travelers, she suggests,
should not think about the reality of a regular Antiguan life nor should the
thought of the oppression the Antiguan has suffered cross their minds and
ruin their precious vacation. It is in seeing their different and simpler way
of living which attracts the tourist to Antigua because it provides an escape
from their seemingly perfect lives in a seemingly perfect place: it takes
stepping down to appreciate what is up. Thus,
when the weary traveler returns home, the first thing they do is rest.
On the
other hand, the author paints a contrasting image of the native Antiguan
experience and how it relates to the tourist’s. You see, it may seem at first
that the native has a profound hatred for the tourist that lies within their
own historical knowledge of oppression and general mistreatment, but that is
not the truth; at least not entirely. Most Antiguans, through Jamaica’s eyes,
lack the economic prowess needed to travel outside of their homeland. As she
writes in A Small Place: ““when the natives see you, the tourist, they envy
you, they envy your ability to leave your own banality and boredom, they envy
your ability to turn their own banality and boredom into a source of pleasure
for yourself.” This means that they themselves cannot be tourists. If a person
cannot do as he or she wishes and dreams, is it not natural for them to resent
those who can? Is it morally correct? There
is no simple answer to these questions. One
might argue that the tourist faults in his or her view of the native people,
but one just as well may claim that the native blunders in his or her
preconceptions and envy. If there is one thing, one error that lies at the core
of this dilemma, it’s generalizing based on one’s own preconceptions.
It's very true what you said about the "perfection", because when we become tourists, mostly, we only want to escape routine, problems and give space to the mind to be free of stress. I think it's by that precissely that we don't ask ourselves when we vacation about the reality and problems about the place we are visiting. It must be important to us, but the travel purpose can be limitating for us to think and become curious georges.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I believe people need to visit places outside of the normal tourist spots. Go into a random country without any real plan to enjoy, but rather to immerse themselves in said places.
DeleteVery interesting. How you say it's like a tug of war. The tourist in their views of native people and the natives with their envy.
ReplyDeleteAt the end, who falls?
DeleteThe way that you exhibited the two sides seemed excellent.
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
DeleteI think that she was very rude in some point of the book
ReplyDeletebut that was the idea right? Been a bad tourist is a very ugly thing
she can't be nice with that.
She's the judge, jury and executioner.
DeleteIn contrast to how the author portrays it, I think that she generalized tourists too much. Not all tourists are oblivious to what is happening in the country they are visiting.
ReplyDelete