Alice Munro Stereotypes

Stereotypes are a generalized belief about a particular group or person. In Munro’s short story, the main character’s attempt to remove the dogmatism imposed on her is seized by the influence of her family. As a female, the antagonistic attitudes in society did not support her quest to defy gender defined stereotypes. Alice Munro illustrated in Boys and Girls how females’ integrity will attune to conventional stereotypes when their aspirations are threatened. The protagonist transitions from initially pursuing her personal desires; to being assimilated; then to adapting to conformity. In other words, females ambitions are compromised by societals conventional standard.
The young protagonist resisted societal pressure in her gender-defined …show more content…
In turn, the girl became subordinated by male values when she was ordered to “close [her] legs” and “stop slamming doors.” The foundation of the main character’s identity became built upon her recalcitrant behavior, she saw herself above the “tedious and endless work in the kitchen” and disobeyed her family’s demands. The young girl was wayward from her family’s beliefs, she even dreamt of “rescuing people from bomb buildings” and living a life of heroism rather than accepting the external pressure imposed on herself. Her aspirations though, were belittled by the men in control of her life, especially her father who tried to direct her to be more “ladylike”. Munro writes, "[the protagonist] was shy of him (her father) and would never ask him questions. Nevertheless worked willingly under his eyes, and with a feeling of pride.” The author used the specific diction of the word “father” to create a juxtaposition within the main character’s deficiency and respect. On one hand, the protagonist was devoted to not endure the range of tasks her mother was associated with, so she became wayward of female duties and diligent to her father. This exemplifies her definacy towards her mother; but in order to remain part of a man’s world which she desired she had …show more content…
The girl’s adventurous dreams of “rescuing people” and bringing them to safety dissolve into feeling like the one needing to be rescued as she is trapped in her mother’s world despite her admittedly "hating the hot and dark kitchen.” Munro compares the protagonist’s identity to foxes in the story because they are both caged creatures overpowered by men. Foxes are illustrated as living in pens, and covered by cloth so they can stay healthy to then be eaten as meat. Whereas women are covered from the sun in their homes and used to do chores. Foxes are used as a means to express the author's opinion of the life of a housewife. Additionally, the foxes are not named until they make it through breeding; this possed many similarities to how women cannot even keep their own name as they are forced to adopt a new one upon marriage. The girl, outnumbered, begins feeling assimilated when she comes to the epiphany that her younger brother’s name Laird means lord, and this implies that his gender alone makes him powerful like a lord. This challenges her beliefs because she realizes now that “[she] is nothing more than a girl” and stuck with the expectation of aiding to her mother’s work that is “deary and peculiarly depressing” while Laird is destined to become nobel. The main character’s original integrity to her personal desires diminish further as she heard her mother saying, “Wait

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