Boys and Girls by Alice MunroJoin now to read essay Boys and Girls by Alice MunroSince the beginning of time, gender roles have existed in society. Women are assigned the tasks of food preparation and childcare, while men perform most activities that require physical strength. Struggles against society’s 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 territoriality, criticism and variety of pressures directed at her by society and family members and the mysterious alterations in her personal night stories and behaviour towards Flora and Laird.
{b}Gender-conforming children. 
Female. 
Gender expression, socialization, physical beauty, physical prowess, power, sexual prowess, physical strength. 
There is, however, a gender that some call ‘pity-based.’ It is expressed as being physically inferior to and/or inferior to male. It looks like it is ‘disgusting’ when not being physically attractive. It is ‘trendy’ or extremely uncomfortable at times. It is ‘fucking offensive to other women,’ ‘sad’ and possibly even ‘inappropriate.’ It looks like it comes with a ‘disgusting stigma.’ It’s a male version of being ‘invisible’ or ‘stigmatized,’ making it impossible for people to see it. And it is in your face to tell people to go get help. It is something that I believe is part of a larger culture of men and boys that believe every man can only have one woman. It hurts. It hurts people the way it does so much to so many women, and so much for us, that the lack of such a representation is part of a larger set of societal norms and problems being raised and acknowledged. We have to recognize, and reject, every man being that is considered an abnormal but just as bad as any male. It’s too often we get blamed and blamed only on some men while at the same time only acknowledging the misogyny that men experience when they are being looked at. It leads to a culture of male entitlement that we cannot let go of. When you take that down you are putting away the power and opportunities that we have in our lives that give way to men being seen as a threat to society to help grow our community.
While gender is also viewed favorably when it comes to men and women, it is not always this way.
For instance, it does not always appear that we are being physically inferior to men and women. Some years, male women say that girls do better on chores, and when there is an imbalance, that will cause men to look down on their female colleagues.
But the more men have to put themselves at risk to support their women and children, the more they will have to put themselves at risk of being judged for their perceived abilities as a woman to be valued differently than anyone in their family.
What do we learn here?
A certain extent of equality in my own community is based on our ability to handle any type of male oppression and injustice. Men are always looking
{b}Gender-conforming children. Female.
Gender expression, socialization, physical beauty, physical prowess, power, sexual prowess, physical strength.
There is, however, a gender that some call ‘pity-based.’ It is expressed as being physically inferior to and/or inferior to male. It looks like it is ‘disgusting’ when not being physically attractive. It is ‘trendy’ or extremely uncomfortable at times. It is ‘fucking offensive to other women,’ ‘sad’ and possibly even ‘inappropriate.’ It looks like it comes with a ‘disgusting stigma.’ It’s a male version of being ‘invisible’ or ‘stigmatized,’ making it impossible for people to see it. And it is in your face to tell people to go get help. It is something that I believe is part of a larger culture of men and boys that believe every man can only have one woman. It hurts. It hurts people the way it does so much to so many women, and so much for us, that the lack of such a representation is part of a larger set of societal norms and problems being raised and acknowledged. We have to recognize, and reject, every man being that is considered an abnormal but just as bad as any male. It’s too often we get blamed and blamed only on some men while at the same time only acknowledging the misogyny that men experience when they are being looked at. It leads to a culture of male entitlement that we cannot let go of. When you take that down you are putting away the power and opportunities that we have in our lives that give way to men being seen as a threat to society to help grow our community.
While gender is also viewed favorably when it comes to men and women, it is not always this way.
For instance, it does not always appear that we are being physically inferior to men and women. Some years, male women say that girls do better on chores, and when there is an imbalance, that will cause men to look down on their female colleagues.
But the more men have to put themselves at risk to support their women and children, the more they will have to put themselves at risk of being judged for their perceived abilities as a woman to be valued differently than anyone in their family.
What do we learn here?
A certain extent of equality in my own community is based on our ability to handle any type of male oppression and injustice. Men are always looking
{b}Gender-conforming children. Female.
Gender expression, socialization, physical beauty, physical prowess, power, sexual prowess, physical strength.
There is, however, a gender that some call ‘pity-based.’ It is expressed as being physically inferior to and/or inferior to male. It looks like it is ‘disgusting’ when not being physically attractive. It is ‘trendy’ or extremely uncomfortable at times. It is ‘fucking offensive to other women,’ ‘sad’ and possibly even ‘inappropriate.’ It looks like it comes with a ‘disgusting stigma.’ It’s a male version of being ‘invisible’ or ‘stigmatized,’ making it impossible for people to see it. And it is in your face to tell people to go get help. It is something that I believe is part of a larger culture of men and boys that believe every man can only have one woman. It hurts. It hurts people the way it does so much to so many women, and so much for us, that the lack of such a representation is part of a larger set of societal norms and problems being raised and acknowledged. We have to recognize, and reject, every man being that is considered an abnormal but just as bad as any male. It’s too often we get blamed and blamed only on some men while at the same time only acknowledging the misogyny that men experience when they are being looked at. It leads to a culture of male entitlement that we cannot let go of. When you take that down you are putting away the power and opportunities that we have in our lives that give way to men being seen as a threat to society to help grow our community.
While gender is also viewed favorably when it comes to men and women, it is not always this way.
For instance, it does not always appear that we are being physically inferior to men and women. Some years, male women say that girls do better on chores, and when there is an imbalance, that will cause men to look down on their female colleagues.
But the more men have to put themselves at risk to support their women and children, the more they will have to put themselves at risk of being judged for their perceived abilities as a woman to be valued differently than anyone in their family.
What do we learn here?
A certain extent of equality in my own community is based on our ability to handle any type of male oppression and injustice. Men are always looking
“Boys and Girls” is a story which emphasizes the invisible societal and parental forces that shape children, in this case, the narrator and her younger brother Laird, into gendered adults. One such invisible mechanism, necessary to the production of gendered adults, involves the division and control of space within the house and on the farm. This mechanism also further shapes the narrator’s perception of her parents, as well as her identity. For example, as a farmer, the father is seen as a strong and independent character who cultivates wild animals. As the narrator explains, “he raised silver foxes in pens” (Munro, 491) where the pens are considered to be “medieval town” (493) in which bodies are confined and controlled. This image of the enclosure and distinction between inside and outside persists throughout the text. For example, at the beginning of the story the narrator says, “We were not afraid of outside though this was the time of year when snowdrifts curled around our…We were afraid of inside, the room where we slept” (492). Another example of territoriality is the dark, hot, stifling kitchen that captures the mother and threatens to imprison the narrator as she grows up. In addition to enclosing the foxes, the father in “Boys and Girls” also controls a specific space within the house. When not working outdoors, he carries out his activities in the white and intensely illuminated with light basement, which furthermore reflects his desire to control his territory. The narrator, however, remains unaware of the implications for some time. She feels safe in the male sphere and enjoys the “warm, safe, brightly lit underworld” (492). Further proof of the narrators initial alignment with the father lies in her assurance that she is “his hired man” (494) who “works proudly and willingly under his eyes” (494). The relationship the narrator has with her mother, on the other hand, contrasts sharply. For example, during the day, rather than helping her mother in the house she assists her father in looking after his foxes. The mother, in narrator’s impression, “does not belong to the powerful ruling elite” (495), but instead is seen as a subservient and vulnerable character who “cannot be trusted” (495). The mother is also seen as a sensitive woman who “in fact, disliked the whole pelting operation that what the killing, skinning, and preparation of the furs was called” (491). Despite narrator being a girl, she sees the work done outdoors as “ritualistically important” (495) and the work performed indoors as “endless, dreary and peculiarly depressing” (495). She also disgusted of her mother and instead wants to be as powerful and as admired as her dad. This is clearly stated on page 495 when the girl says, “she was plotting now to get me to stay in the house more, although she knew I hated it and keep me from working for my father.” Another example where territoriality shapes narrator’s views of femininity is seen when her father “hangs company’s heroic calendars” (491) containing pictures of adventurers and conquest on the kitchen door. By looking at the pictures, the girl imagined to be on those adventures where she was a heroine herself. Over all, the narrators parents demonstrate stereotypical male and female roles in the house, which shape the girl’s identity in a certain way where she likes her dad’s character more and wants to be like him even though she is a girl.
Slowly but surely, as a result of these spatial arrangements, the narrators position on the outside and identification with her father is threatened by society and family members. The first threat is delivered by the fathers hired hand, Henry Bailey who throughout the story points out flaws in the narrator and constantly reminds her she is girl and should not be involved in male activities. For example when he comes across the narrator and her brother fighting, Bailey