The Lamp At Noon

Words: 1147
Pages: 5

Gender roles in society have always been around; there was never a time that suggests otherwise. It was stereotypically thought that men should do the all the physically hard work and go out and earn money while the women stay home taking care of children, cooking and cleaning. This was especially common in the 1900s. Sinclair Ross’ short story ‘The Lamp at Noon’ and Alice Munro’s ‘Boys and Girl’ help display the challenges and influences of these gender norms on characters through settings, symbolism and character development. Gender roles/expectations create a change in characters’ lives by challenging their beliefs/illusions, and shaping them for the better and even for the worse. …show more content…
Ellen tries to be the ‘ideal’ wife (of that time) but after being frustrated with their situation, she develops a fear for her future and wanted a change in her living style. When quarreling with Paul she says, “Sometimes, Paul, I wish I was. I’m so caged - if I could only break away and run. See – I stand like this all day I can’t relax. My throats so tight it aches” (Ross 4). She symbolizes the inside to a cage where she does not wish to stay and rather be out doing what Paul does. After realizing she could not get her husband to listen to her she decides to actually run away. This served as a good purpose as it leads to a change in their living style by giving Paul time to think about their life and come in terms with reality. This type of change is also evident in ‘Boys and Girls’ where the protagonist fears to be sent into her room; she does not have a feel of personal space (sharing with her brother) and felt she has no control over it. She states, “we were afraid of the inside, the room where we slept” (Munro 1 ). Again, the inside was symbolized and looked upon as dark and was undesirable. When she added laces and made her room