Essay about Only a Girl in Boys and Girls by Alice Munro

After reading “A&P” by John Updike and Alice Munro’s “Boys and Girls”, a centralized theme arose. Each story’s protagonist demonstrates a unique internal struggle centered on the restrictions society places upon them. Even though the short stories written by John Updike and Alice Munro are remarkably different from each other, it is possible for a reader to interpret similarities between the two.

In Alice Munro’s short story “Boys and Girls,” our narrator is a young farm girl on the verge of puberty who is learning what it means to be a “girl.” The story shows the differing gender roles of boys and girls – specifically that women are the weaker, more emotional sex – by showing how the adults of the story expect the children to grow into their respective roles as a girl and a boy, and how the children grow up and ultimately begin to fulfill these roles, making the transition from being “children” to being “young adults.”

When we are adolescents we see the world through our parents' eyes.  We struggle to define ourselves within their world, or to even break away from their world.  Often, the birth of our "self" is defined in a moment of truth or a moment of heightened self-awareness that is the culmination of a group of events or the result of a life crisis or struggle.  In literature we refer to this birth of "self" as an epiphany.  Alice Munro writes in "Boys and Girls" about her own battle to define herself.  She is torn between the "inside" world of her mother and the "outside" world of her father.  In the beginning her father's world prevails, but by the finale, her mother's world invades her

In Alice Munro’s short story “Boys and Girls”, the author explains the transition from being a tomboy girl to becoming a woman. The protagonist is

In Alice Munro’s short story, Boys and Girls, the underlying theme displayed throughout the entirety of the story is conforming and defying to society’s gender expectations. This is shown through the literary device, symbolism. Symbolism is seen through Flora the horse and the protagonist’s mother.

For centuries, women have had the role of being the perfect and typical house wife; needs to stay home and watch the children, cook for husbands, tend to the laundry and chores around the house. In her short story “Girl”, Jamaica Kincaid provides a long one sentence short story about a mother giving specific instructions to her daughter but with one question towards the end, with the daughter’s mother telling her daughter if she had done all the instructions to become a so called “perfect” woman, every man would want her. Kincaid’s structuring in “Girl,” captures a demanding and commanding tone. This short story relates to feminist perspectives. The mother expects a great deal from her daughter to have a certain potential and she does not hesitate to let her daughter understand that. As a matter of fact, the story is about two pages long, made into one long sentence - almost the whole time the mother is giving her daughter directions to follow - conveys a message to the reader that the mother demands and expects great potential in her daughter. The daughter is forced to listen and learn from what her mother is telling her to do to become the perfect housewife. Throughout the story, Kincaid uses the symbols of the house and clothing, benna and food to represent the meanings of becoming a young girl to a woman and being treated like one in society. Women are portrayed to appeal to a man to become the ideal woman in society, while men can do anything they please.

“Boys and Girls” is a short story, by Alice Munro, which illustrates a tremendous growing period into womanhood, for a young girl living on a fox farm in Canada, post World War II. The young girl slowly comes to discover her ability to control her destiny and her influences on the world. The events that took place over the course of the story helped in many ways to shape her future. From these events one can map the Protagonist’s future. The events that were drawn within the story provided the Protagonist with a foundation to become an admirable woman.

The readings of “Hairball” by Margaret Atwood as well as “Boys and Girls” by Alice Munro, both display the many different elements of identity and equality in our society today. Both of these tales hold stimulating and fascinating written content along with interesting elements of its written language. The reading of “Hairball” by Margaret Atwood is an interesting and intriguing short story that has lots of detail written into it. This short story starts off with Kat bringing home her tumor, which she named “Hairball”.

In the short story “Boys and Girls,” Alice Munro illustrates a story of a young girl who details her daily life on a fox farm. She describes the roles that men and women are expected to carry out within her life. Her father takes care of the work outside to support the family while her mother stays inside to take care of the house. I chose this passage because it illustrates how gender roles are constructed into one’s mind and implies how these constructs are taught not biological. The girl narrates that growing up she thought the word girl was unmarked of responsibilities like the word child.

On a daily basis, sexism and gender roles constantly affect women. Sexism is a concept revolving around the prejudice and discrimination of women while gender roles are a social construct, often used to create a sense of order by linking certain roles to each gender. Gender roles often imply that women should participate in domestic roles while men should do labour work. In the 20th century, those roles were very apparent. Now, women and men are challenging these notions as well as the stereotypes that come along with them. Throughout the short story “Boys and Girls” by Alice Munro, the narrator defies against gender roles, as well as questions the constant sexism within her community and her identity as a whole.

In the early beginning of time, gender roles have exited in society. Women are assigned to participate in the food preparation, and taking care of kids, while men participate in activities that require physical strength. Hardship against society norms and ideas of how gender roles should be, or threats of a feminist influence on those gender roles are found in the “Boys and Girls” written by Alice Munro. This story introduces an unnamed girl who faces the daily challenges and awaking truth of developing her identity in the society that is ruled by men.

The theme of “Boys and Girls” describes the stereotyped gender roles, where the boy is often seen as the strong hero, while the girl is seen as the damsel in distress. Therefore, I believe these stories suggest that she is dissatisfied in the world she currently lives in, and has a desire to break free of it. This suggests that she does not feel like she has control in her current life and that she wants to have a role of leadership. This is demonstrated when she says “These stories were about myself...they took place in a world that was recognizably mine, yet one that presented opportunities for courage, boldness, self-sacrifice” (47). I would suggest that the world she lives in causes her to feel as though she is very disposable and of not much importance. Moreso, these feelings eventually manifest into constant worry and deeply rooted anger. Thus, it leads me to believe that these stories are the narrators “escape” where she can be all that she wishes. I believe that in her perfect world, she would be seen as an equal to her brother and would not be demeaned for showing emotion through something such as

In Alice Munro's "Boys and Girls”, Munro tells a story concerning a young lady's encounter to womanhood in society which is infested with gender roles and stereotypes. Regardless of whether it is the past or the present, there have dependably been gender roles in society. In many homes, it is the women's obligation to deal with the house. This incorporates cleaning, meal arrangements, raising and dealing with the youngsters and in addition the spouse. Contrasted with the men who deal with the more physical exercises, for example, yard work. It was known all through numerous years that it was a lady's obligation to remain in the house while the man would go out and search for work to give cash to his family. Although, the power of gender

As discussed by R. W. Connell, “When sex role theory provided the main framework, there was a fairly straightforward account of how people acquired gender. Babies were, from the start, identified as either female or male and put in pink and blue baby clothes respectively. Blue babies were expected to behave differently from pink babies -- rougher and tougher, more demanding and vigorous. In time they were given toy guns, footballs, and construction sets. The pink babies, by contrast, were expected to be more passive and compliant, also prettier. As they grew older, they were dressed in frilly clothes, given dolls and make-up kits, told to take care of their appearance and be polite and agreeable.” (Gender) The same theory can be found in Alice Munro’s story, “Boys and Girls”, which is about a young girl’s defiance against society’s version of womanhood. In “Boys and Girls,” Alice Munro emphasizes the irrationality of gender roles that are established by society, and the severe and harmful impact it can have on children. She does this by emphasizing the conformity and oppression faced by the narrator and the separation of roles assigned to the different family members. In this story, spatial divisions and the control of space within the home and on the farm are emphasized by a narrator still young enough to remark upon details which the adults ignore. (Penning In The Bodies: The Construction Of Gendered Subjects In Alice Munro’s Boys and Girls)

“ A woman’ job is to keep her man happy.” This has been the societal expectation for girls or women rather, for centuries. If a marriage fails, the first concern is, did the wife satisfy her man in their marriage. Boys are expected to be the providers, while girls are to stay at home and keep her mister happy and satisfied as for as he is the one sustaining for their needs. A. Munro used “Boys and Girls” to convey the idea that males are prominent to females in the society because it exhibits the important duties, titles and privileges that are compiled to boys but remotely to girls.