Boys and Girls by Alice Munro - 817 Words

Society tries to place many rules upon an individual as to what is acceptable and what is not . One must decide for themselves whether to give in to these pressures and conform to society’s projected image, or rather to resist and maintain their own desired self image. In the story â€Å"Boys and Girls† by Alice Munro, Munro suggests that this conflict is internal and external and a persons experiences in life will determine which of these forces will conquer. In terms of the unnamed protagonist’s experiences in the story, it becomes clear just how strong the pressure of society to conform really is, as it overcomes and replaces the girl’s self image. In order to better understand the conflict, first we must define what conformity and self†¦show more content†¦Although seemingly unimportant to the storyline, the presence of the foxes and horses play a major role in the story, as they symbolize the sides of the conflict between conformity and self image. The foxes represent conformity; they all live in the same routine, are controlled by others in their environment, and are both literally and metaphorically locked in a cage. The narrator’s environment is much like the foxes, controlling. Her parent’s subtle hints, whether it be her mother’s comments or her father’s tasks, are slowly but surely enclosing on her like a cage, and will soon trap her. The horses however, try as hard as they can, much like the narrator, to roam free for as long as possible, seemingly unaware of the forces acting against them in an attempt to deny them their freedom. For the horses, this force was the narrator’s father, who felt that they had a purpose to be served, in the narrator’s case, it was her mother’s thought that she had a place to be served as well; inside the home. In the case of the foxes and horses, neither win, as they both die in the end, much like people. However, although the horse’s lives end much sooner, they get to experience something that the foxes do not, and that is freedom. The protagonist’s desire for freedom is clearly desirable as she expresses her resistance to conform to societies ideals by continuing to do things against the norm, â€Å"thinking that by such measures [she] keptShow MoreRelatedBoys and Girls by Alice Munro1683 Words   |  7 Pagesagainst societys ideas of how gender roles should be, as well as threats of a feminist influence on some issues are found in Boys and Girls composition written by Alice Munro. In this story, the main character, who appears to be an unnamed girl, faces her awakening body and the challenge of developing her social identity in a mans world. Through first-person narration, Munro shows the girls views of femininity by describing the girls interpretations of her parents shaped by indoor and outdoor territorialityRead MoreReview Of Boys And Girls By Alice Munro861 Words   |  4 Pages The role of gender is a main point of many pieces of literature. One of those story’s is â€Å"Boys and Girls† by Alice Munro. This is a story of a girl who is in conflict between the role she wants to fill and the role that her gender prescribes to her. She would like to help her father in the business of raising foxes for their pelts, which is work normally ascribed to a man. This conflict causes her mother to disagree with the girl’s want to help her father. The mother is inclined to push for herRead MoreSymbolism In Boys And Girls By Alice Munro766 Words   |  4 Pages In the short story â€Å"Boys and Girls,† Alice Munro develops the theme ‘your perception is your reality’ through the use of supporting characters, the narrator, and symbolism. In â€Å"Boys and Girls,† the narrator struggles with the societal views placed upon women and how her own personality is in contradiction to that ideal. Firstly, the secondary characters develop the theme by supporting one constant notion in which women are inferior and submissive. The temporal setting is in the late 1940s, afterRead MoreBoys And Girls By Alice Munro Summary995 Words   |  4 PagesIn Alice Munros Boys and Girls†, Munro tells a story concerning a young ladys 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 womens 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 moreRead MoreAn Analysis Of Boys And Girls By Alice Munro1785 Words   |  8 Pagesreject it altogether, further reinforcing their original traits. Sometimes these external forces are too substantial for the individual to handle and they have no choice but to conform and submit to these forces. In the short story â€Å"Boys and Girls†, written by Alice Munro the protagonist begins to discover that society plays an important role in the shaping of a ones character and personality. In her childhood, the protagonist exhibits a very unorthodox nature as she prefers to do manual labour alongsideRead MoreGender Discrimination in Boys and Girls by Alice Munro932 Words   |  4 Pagesfigures (heteronomous obedience) while growing up. In the short story â€Å"Boys and Girls† by Alice Munro, life during the twentieth century is portrayed. The narrator, who has portrayed herself as a nameless young girl, struggles for freedom from inequality in her society. The disobedience in â€Å"Boys and Girls† is clarified in Erich Fromm’s essay, â€Å"Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem (DPMP).† The narrator of â€Å"Boys and Girls† goes through different phases of obedience due to her â⠂¬Å"authoritarianRead MoreThe Story Of Boys And Girls Alice Munro Analysis775 Words   |  4 Pageshousehold works and his opinion was never considered. The Story of Boys and Girls Alice Munro, the narrated whose name is never oversized passed by the situation that she did not want to follow the example of his mother because she wanted to be helping his father out of housework. The protagonist of the story of Munro, unidentified by a name, goes through a radical and radical initiation into adulthood. The creation of Alice Munro of a female protagonist with no name and, therefore, unworthy, proposesRead MoreGender Roles In Boys And Girls By Alice Munro1192 Words   |  5 PagesHistorically, gender roles determined one’s course of life. Learning from generations past and how a person is raised, teaches one what is expected of them in the future. In Alice Munro’s short story â€Å"Boys and Girls†, the expectations of each gender determines the narrator’s role in society and who she becomes. This story is set in the mid twentieth century, a time where men and women were seen as having different purposes in life (Jade Mazarin). Throughout the story, it is portrayed that men wereRead MoreAnalysis Of Alice Munro s Boys And Girls 1311 Words   |  6 Pagese roles and expectations of different characters in Alice Munro’s â€Å" Boys and Girls†: While gender roles have been very important in society, the expectations of men and women are very different than each other, based off society’s views. Men are the superior of the household that hold the more physical tasks of hunting, building, and striving for survival. While women play the nurturing type of person toward their family, whom cradle their children, prepare the food, and clean within their livingRead MoreComing Of Age In Boys And Girls By Alice Munro844 Words   |  4 Pageslectures and readings that we have done on coming of age, I have learned that coming of age is a lot like a milestone in life. It happens when we mature or become more knowledgeable and it can happen no matter what age we are. The story, â€Å"Boys and Girls†, by Alice Munro, shows us the perfect example of coming of age and is also a story that left a lasting impression on me because of it feminist aspect of a girl’s life. Coming of age is our minds and bodies evolving into a more mature person. It isn’t