Gender Role Reevaluation in Boys and Girls by Alice Munro Essay

Gender Role Reevaluation in Boys and Girls Recent history boldly notes the protests and political unrest surrounding the Vietnam Conflict during the 1960s and 70s. However, equally important in this era are the women who pushed for gender role reevaluation and publicly rebelled against the established loving norm of a womans place. Although Alice rice beer may not have been burning her bra on the courthouse steps, threads of a feminist influence can be found in Boys and Girls. sakes main character, a girl probably modeled after Munros own childhood experiences on an Ontario farm, faces her awakening body and the challenge of growth her tender identity in a mans world. The girl, an unnamed character, acts as a universal symbol for the initiation of a girl into womanhood. Through first-person narrative, Munro situation the girls views of her budding muliebrity and social identity by describing the girls conceptions of her parents work, her parallel to the wild mar e Flora, and the mysterious alterations (Munro 474) in her personal nightly stories. As if to forsake her femininity and forego a life of confinement and housework, the girl reveres her fathers work and condemns her mothers duties. The sum of the girls respect seems to lie with her father, as is evident in her reference to his work out of doors as ritualistically important (468). On the other hand, while the girl recognizes that her mother is busy, she still considers her mothers work in the house to be endless, dreary and peculiarly depressing (468). The parting between her parents tasks is especially apparent in the girls reaction to her mothers presence at the barn. She feels threatened by her... ...hether this quantifies complete acceptance with the girl, however, is not solidified by Munro due to the final sentence Maybe it was true (475). Through opinion, comparison, and imagination Munro details the girls journey from a rebellious tomboy to a late bloom ing woman. The characteristics so endearing to the girls underdeveloped identity, such as her assistance in Floras escape and her unwillingness comment13 to easily submit to the social constraints of life as a woman, also lend themselves to her universality as a representative to initiation to femininity. Munros own personal views of femininity arguably color this work, Boys and Girls. Works Cited Munro, Alice. Boys and Girls. The Norton opening to Literature. Eds. Carl E. Bain, Jerome Beaty and J. Paul Hunter. 6th ed. New York Norton, 1995. 465-75. Gender Role Reevaluation in Boys and Girls by Alice Munro EssayGender Role Reevaluation in Boys and Girls Recent history boldly notes the protests and political unrest surrounding the Vietnam Conflict during the 1960s and 70s. However, equally important in this era are the women who pushed for gender role reevaluation and publicly rebelled against the established social norm of a womans place. Although A lice Munro may not have been burning her bra on the courthouse steps, threads of a feminist influence can be found in Boys and Girls. Munros main character, a girl probably modeled after Munros own childhood experiences on an Ontario farm, faces her awakening body and the challenge of developing her social identity in a mans world. The girl, an unnamed character, acts as a universal symbol for the initiation of a girl into womanhood. Through first-person narrative, Munro garment the girls views of her budding femininity and social identity by describing the girls conceptions of her parents work, her parallel to the wild mare Flora, and the mysterious alterations (Munro 474) in her personal nightly stories. As if to forsake her femininity and forego a life of confinement and housework, the girl reveres her fathers work and condemns her mothers duties. The sum of the girls respect seems to lie with her father, as is evident in her reference to his work outdoors as ri tualistically important (468). On the other hand, while the girl recognizes that her mother is busy, she still considers her mothers work in the house to be endless, dreary and peculiarly depressing (468). The course of instruction between her parents tasks is especially apparent in the girls reaction to her mothers presence at the barn. She feels threatened by her... ...hether this quantifies complete acceptance with the girl, however, is not solidified by Munro due to the final sentence Maybe it was true (475). Through opinion, comparison, and imagination Munro details the girls journey from a rebellious tomboy to a soft blooming woman. The characteristics so endearing to the girls developing identity, such as her assistance in Floras escape and her unwillingness comment13 to easily submit to the social constraints of life as a woman, also lend themselves to her universality as a representative to initiation to femininity. Munros own personal views of femininity arguably color this work, Boys and Girls. Works Cited Munro, Alice. Boys and Girls. The Norton entry to Literature. Eds. Carl E. Bain, Jerome Beaty and J. Paul Hunter. 6th ed. New York Norton, 1995. 465-75.