The Theme Of Gender Roles In Alice Munro'S Boys And Girls
Since early colonization to the current day, gender stereotypes continue to exist in our society. Gender roles are socially established behaviours, activities and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for both men and women. Women are assigned the tasks of food childcare and food preparation, while men perform more active duties that require physical strength. The concept of gender roles continues to be implemented in many different literary texts. In Alice Munro's short story, Boys and Girls, she highlights the theme of gender stereotypes in which shapes the children; in this case, the narrator, into a gendered adult. Firstly, the narrator begins not understanding her gender roles to become aware of her gender role. Secondly, the narrator transitions from being aware of her gender role to resisting her gender role. Lastly, the narrator progresses from resisting her gender role to accepting her gender role. By examining how the narrator transitions from a ‘Tom Boy’ who is unaware of gender roles to what society views as a typical ‘girl,’ Alice Monro puts forth the idea that society imposes gender roles on individuals.
First of all, Munro makes it clear that society enforces gender stereotypes through the narrator's transition from being unaware of her gender role to becoming aware of her gender role. At the beginning of the story, the narrator starts as a free-spirited child, a ‘Tom Boy’ who acts less of a ‘girl’ and more like a ‘boy. ’ The narrator assists and fulfils her father's work outside of the house and frequently gets into fights with her younger brother, Laird. She seems quite happy and fulfilled with her way of life. However, as time progresses, she slowly becomes acquainted with gender roles. To expand, one night, the narrator overhears the discussion between the mother and the father discussing in front of the barn, and it is here that the narrator becomes aware that gender roles exist. The mother complains, “I just get my back turned and she runs off. It’s not like I had a girl in the family at all”. The narrator becomes aware of gender roles after her mother demands that she needs to help her in the house more. The mother embraces gender roles as her comments to her father indicates that as a girl, she is not supposed to be outside helping her father because only males are meant to do that type of work. She is supposed to be doing housework because females are expected to do that type of work. Additionally, the narrator also becomes aware of gender stereotypes when a feed salesman visits the farm. The father introduces the narrator as his new hired man because of the assistance she has been giving him.
The salesman reacts to the threat of her presence by treating the father's remark as a joke and replies, “‘Could of fooled me,’ said the salesman. ‘I thought it was only a girl’”. The salesman replies according to the dictates of culture, indicating that she could not possibly be her father’s new hired man, because girls cannot fill those roles. If it had been her brother Laird, instead of the girl, then the situation would occur differently, specifically, the salesman would not doubt her father’s remark. The salesman relishes the prospect of the narrator's acquisition of her gender role. Moreover, it is apparent that gender stereotypes are enforced on individuals through the interactions between Laird and the narrator. Laird is the narrator’s younger brother, a seemingly sweet little boy whose helplessness is, at first, contrasted to the narrator’s greater ability to be of help to her mother and father in the house and on the fox farm. However, as the story progresses, this image of uselessness falls away as it becomes apparent that Laird will be the one to take the narrator’s place at their father’s side. In the past, the narrator was easily able to defeat the Laird because of her elderness, however, as time progressed Laird begins to physically overpower her despite him still being younger. During winter the narrator decided to get into a fight with her brother and describes, “[o]nce Laird and I were fighting, and for the first time ever I had to use all my strength against him; even so, he caught and pinned my arm for a moment, really hurting me”. This makes her aware of the physical differences between boys and girls; boys are naturally stronger. Clearly, the author demonstrates that the narrator, as the text illustrates, is naturally becoming aware of the existence of gender roles.
Secondly, Munro makes it quite definite that society inflicts gender roles through the narrator's transition from being conscious of her gender role to resisting her gender role. In Boys and Girls, spatial divisions and the control of space within the home and on the farm is emphasized by the narrator still young enough to remark upon details which the adults ignore. As a result of the narrator's relatively innocent and inquisitive perspective, it is obvious there is a division of space that facilitates two seemingly disparate systems of production: farming and the construction of gendered adults. Over time, this becomes more apparent to her, and she eventually revolts it. This is apparent through the narrator's mental conflict between the grandma and mother, and also physical conflict between her and Laird. The narrator begins to rebel and resist her assigned gender role. Other challenges to the narrator’s connection to the father and her right to occupy the male ‘‘outside” space are launched from within the household itself. To illustrate, when the grandmother visits the farmhouse, she begins to coerce the narrator on the way girls are supposed to act, and the narrator does the opposite in response. The grandma lectures, 'Girls don't slam doors like that. Girls keep their knees together when they sit down. ‘And worse still, when I asked some questions,’ That's none of girls’ business. ‘I continued to slam the doors and sit as awkwardly as possible, thinking that by such measures I kept myself free’”. What is understood from the passage is that there is not much difference in behaviour between the sexes if they are left to their own devices. However, figures in positions of authority, such as the grandmother, train the sexes in appropriate sex-specific behaviours. The training of the female gender role concentrates on making the narrator into someone who should demonstrate physical and self-containment and modesty. The narrator doing the exact opposite of what her grandmother says girls should do indicates that she is resisting her assigned gender role.
Furthermore, the narrator constantly running out on the mother once she is finished a task to avoid being assigned more housework so that she can work with her father, demonstrates her refusing what society views as a girl. She wants to assist her father, which is seen as a more masculine job. Clearly, the narrator has given thought to the differing roles of men and women and has chosen to identify herself with the male sphere. She sees the inside of the house as her mother’s territory, a territory she does not care to inhabit. In addition, the narrator begins to get into physical fights with Laird to exert dominance. The narrator fighting with her brother symbolically represents her fighting her perceived gender role; as long as she can overpower Laird, she can avoid being viewed as a ‘girl. ’ Perceptibly, the author shows that society forces gender roles as the narrator continues to resist and criticize the patriarchal system, which names her.
Finally, Munro makes it apparent that society defines gender stereotypes through the narrator's transition from rebilating her gender role to accepting and adapting her gender role. This is conspicuous through the narrator's actions. To elucidate, the narrator begins to embrace society’s imposed gender roles after viewing her Mack’s death. She begins to care about her appearance and her room and her dreams changes, she begins to put off by her father’s work, and she even defies her father and lets Flora escape. The narrator initially dreams of courage, boldness and self-sacrifice - rescuing people from bombed buildings, shooting rabid wolves who were menacing the schoolyard. Before her subjectivity has been constituted, her body fought over and conquered, these dreams of male heroism seem attainable. However, as she grows older, she slowly accepts her assigned gender role as she begins to dream more “feminine” things, such as if she would be pretty when she grows up.
By separating her side of the room from Laird’s, she begins to recognize that he is a boy, and therefore different than her. This psychic division is replicated by her spatially dividing the room, signalling the children’s acquisition of gendered subjectivity. By the end of the story her dreams begin the old way, but end like a fairytale. She ruminates, “A story might start off in the old way, with a spectacular danger, a fire or wild animals, and for a while, I might rescue people; then things would change around, and instead, somebody would be rescuing me”. Even the dreams the narrator tells herself have altered. No longer the valiant hero, she becomes the victim in need of rescue. Furthermore, after she views Mack’s death, she has physical and emotional after-effects. Despite Henry’s enjoyment of power, it is the father who ultimately shoots the horse. The image of the horse’s death has a tremendous impact on the narrator. Amid other thoughts, the memory intrudes upon her consciousness; she sees the easily practiced way her father raises the gun and hears Henry laughter when Mack kicked his legs in the air. Henry’s laughter is particularly unnerving because it fully exposes his delight in power based on sheer inequality. She reflects, “Yet I felt a little ashamed, and there was a new wariness, a sense of holding-off, in my attitude to my father and his work”. This patently shows that she is put off of violence as her knees start to shake and she wants to stop watching the killing, whereas Laird seems to enjoy the violence. She does not enjoy working with her father after this incident and spends more and more time inside doing housework with her mother.
Moreover, she defies her father’s instructions to close the gate and opens the gate wider, letting her out. She is showing compassion for Flora which is considered a female trait. Contrasting with Laird wanting to take part in hunting Flora down so they can kill her for food (masculine embrace of violence). During dinner when the men and Laird returns, Laird exposes her for letting Flora out. The narrator is overcome and begins to cry. She believes that she will be sent away from the table, but instead, the whole incident is dismissed as her father takes back his frustration. She describes, '‘Never mind,’ my father said. He spoke with resignation, even good humour the words which absolved and dismissed me for good. ‘She's only a girl,’ he said. I didn't protest that, even in my heart. Maybe it was true”. For the first time, the family treats her as a female. Her father shows her the same kind of consideration he showed her mother the night she confronted him at the barn. Without refusing what was said about her this scene explicitly shows she has accepted the gender role that society imposed on her. Discernibly, the author shows that society forces gender roles as the narrator accepts her role at the end of the story.
In conclusion, Alice Munro's evidently communicates the idea that gender stereotypes exist and people are expected to conform to expectations of one’s gender in her short story, Boys and Girls. The narrator begins not acquainted of gender roles to becoming aware with her gender role. The narrator then transitions from being aware of her gender role to rebeling her gender role. Lastly, the narrator progresses from resisting her gender role to credence her gender role. Both the brother and sister take up their ‘‘rightful’’ positions, acquiescing to the pressures which divide them physically and psychically. The traditional socialization undergone by middle-class girls at this time was something she resisted, as she perceived that the stereotypes and choices allotted to women were less attractive and various than those allotted to men. However, regardless of this resistance she describes how she gradually capitulated to accept this socialization. The cultural discourse has been inculcated. “We have evolved, but it seems to me that our ideas of gender have evolved” - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
