Why does Jamaica Kincaid repeat ideas in "Girl"?

The
steam-of-consciousness narrative method thatuses in is meant to represent the ongoing
presentation of ideas that the unnamed speaker offers to the girl; the reader assumes that the
two characters are mother and daughter respectively. The author may be indicating that the
action is occurring in real time, with the daughter hearing but not really listening to her
mothers advice. It is equally likely however, that the narrative constitutes the girls memory of
the advice her mother gave her. In either case, the ideas that are spoken the most frequently
are the ones that the mother emphasized. Perhaps the daughter follows, or followed, her advice;
perhaps she recalls important advice that she failed to follow, and she now misses the words she
once took for granted.