This paper examines Alice Munro's short story "Boys and Girls," which chronicles a young girl's resistance to and eventual acceptance of prescribed gender roles in late 1940s Canada. Through careful analysis of characterization, symbolism, and narrative perspective, the paper demonstrates how the unnamed protagonist initially rebels against societal expectations—defying her grandmother's rules, joining her father's work, and identifying with the wild mare Flora—but ultimately surrenders to conventional femininity. The paper argues that Munro uses naming conventions, household dynamics, and the fate of the horse to illustrate the pervasive power of gender ideology and the protagonist's eventual internalization of her role as a woman.
Alice Munro's short story "Boys and Girls" presents a compelling narrative about a young girl's struggle against gender roles in a society that privileges masculinity. Set on a fox farm in late 1940s Canada, the story captures a period when women were widely viewed as inferior to men. The protagonist, through the narrator's voice, resists this ideology with fierce determination. Yet Munro's title—"Boys and Girls"—hints at the story's ultimate irony: despite the girl's initial rebellion, she eventually internalizes the very gender norms she once rejected. Through careful use of symbolism, characterization, and narrative detail, Munro illustrates how societal pressure inevitably shapes individual identity.
Munro establishes gender hierarchy from the outset through her deliberate use of names. The protagonist is never given a name; she remains "the girl" throughout the narrative. Her brother, by contrast, is called Laird—a name that means "Lord" in Scottish. This naming choice powerfully reinforces the author's central theme: males are valued and celebrated, while females remain undifferentiated and subordinate. The father, who runs the fox farm, becomes the family's economic center and moral authority. He communicates with his daughter only about work, withholding emotional connection unless she proves her usefulness.
The contrast between how the narrator describes her parents' roles further illustrates this hierarchy. She describes her mother's housework and kitchen duties as "endless," a word choice that conveys monotony, exhaustion, and futility. Her father's work with the foxes, however, is characterized as "ritualistically important"—language that elevates his labor to something sacred and meaningful. Through these word choices, the narrator reveals her own internalized belief that male labor carries inherent dignity while female domestic work is merely repetitive drudgery. The girl's bitterness toward her mother's role foreshadows her own desire to escape traditional femininity.
The girl's rebellion against gender expectations begins early and takes multiple forms. She actively works alongside her father to care for the foxes, seeking his approval and attention: "My father did not talk to me unless it was about the job we were doing....Nevertheless I worked willingly under his eyes, and with a feeling of pride." She willingly abandons the kitchen and her mother's world to claim a place in her father's labor. This choice represents her first assertion that she need not accept the limitations placed on her sex.
Her grandmother becomes the voice of conventional gender ideology, enforcing rules through sharp commands: "Girls keep their knees together when they sit down," "Girls don't slam doors like that," and "That's none of a girl's business." Rather than obey these prescriptions, the girl does the opposite. She sprawls when sitting, slams doors deliberately, and asks questions beyond what her grandmother deems appropriate. These acts of defiance, though small, represent her conscious rejection of femininity as a limiting construct. She refuses to become what society expects.
Additionally, Laird—her brother—is positioned as the future heir to the family's work. The parents openly remark that once he grows older, they will "have some real help." When the girl hears this, she becomes jealous and even attempts to sabotage her brother, though her efforts go unnoticed and she herself bears blame. This dynamic underscores how firmly the family has accepted the premise that boys naturally inherit the valued work while girls are peripheral.
The mare named Flora becomes the story's most potent symbol. The horse is violent and rebellious, and symbolism in literature often uses animals to represent human desires and emotions. The girl explicitly identifies with Flora: "I was on Flora's side." When the father decides to slaughter the horse to feed the foxes, the girl makes a pivotal choice. She opens the gate to free Flora, an act of direct defiance against her father's authority. In that moment, she sides with the horse's freedom over obedience to paternal control.
The girl's interior monologue reveals the stakes: "I was on Flora's side...I did not regret it; when she came running at me and I held the gate open, that was the only thing I could do." This statement demonstrates moral clarity and agency. She understands her action as inevitable, even righteous. Yet her agency is immediately negated when her father and brother recapture and kill the horse anyway. Worse, they dismiss her act with the dismissive phrase: "she's only a girl." Their response makes clear that her rebellion is not taken seriously precisely because of her gender. Flora's death signals the beginning of the girl's defeat—her symbolic double has been removed.
"Girl eventually surrenders to conventional gender roles"
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