It is thought that the relationships women have with men are largely influenced by the relationship women have with their fathers. This theory can be supported by Lucy’s behavior with men in the novel. Lucy rarely mentions her father throughout the novel. This results from him either being absent in her upbringing or him having negative impacts on her life that she attempts to muffle. The men in Jamaica Kincaid’s Lucy are all weak, and Lucy either thinks little of their personalities or uses them simply for physical pleasure.

Jamaica Kincaid’s Lucy can be viewed as an altered autobiography. Lucy’s childhood and early adult years are extremely similar to those experienced by Kincaid. By making herself the main character, Kincaid is able to further analyze those years of her life and alter them in way for her audience to better grasp her experience and learn from it.

Throughout the entire book there are numerous examples of Lucy not connecting with the significant characters in her life. She has a range of different people she finds herself sharing time and activities with that that are similar to those of a couple in love, yet she only shows signs of loving two people throughout her entire life. Mariah and Lucy’s mother could very easily be the only two people in her life she ever loves and even then we can tell she tries to deny it even herself.