Boys And Girls By Alice Munro Analysis

“Boys and Girls”

The difference in gender roles plays a huge factor in how people in society view themselves. The short story, “Boys and Girls,” by Alice Munro is about a little girl who at the beginning of the story is used to being her father’s helper with his fox farming business, but later, falls into the female stereotype she desperately tries to fight. The girl is proud of the work her father is involved in but she loathes the different chores her mother does every day. Instead of cooking for the family, the girl would much rather be taking care of the foxes with her father. After the death of their horse, Flora, she stops fighting the comments of becoming a woman and chooses to act more like a “girl.” The girl begins to dream about being rescued, worrying about her appearance, and decorating. After the incident of letting Flora escape, her father degrades her by saying, “She’s just a girl.” The story presents women negatively by saying the woman’s place is in the home and the males are the boss. Society tries to clearly define what is acceptable and what is not for both genders. In the story, “Boys and Girls,” the little girl gives into the societal expectations of being a woman and follows her mother into the continuous domestic cycle. The stereotypical expectations of women the

The girl enjoys the attention she receives from her father and looks up to him as one of her role models. She takes pride in the work her father assigns for her as her father’s special helper. Even her father avoids using the term “girl” as he presents her as his helper: “Like to have you meet my new hired man” (Monroe 404). Here the father places importance on the male gender, revealing his belief that only a man is equipped to help run the fox farm. Since the narrator looks up to her father, she eventually begins to hate the idea of being a