The Struggle for Self-Definition in Boys and Girls by...

The Struggle for Self-Definition in Boys and Girls When we are adolescents we see the world through our parents eyes. We struggle to define ourselves within their world, or to even break away from their world. Often, the birth of our self is defined in a moment of truth or a moment of heightened self-awareness that is the culmination of a group of events or the result of a life crisis or struggle. In literature we refer to this birth of self as an epiphany. Alice Munro writes in Boys and Girls about her own battle to define herself. She is torn between the inside world of her mother and the outside world of her father. In the beginning her fathers world prevails, but by the finale, her mothers world invades her†¦show more content†¦Yet, she is filled with the sense of being a part of something important. It seemed to me that work . . . done out of doors, and in my fathers service, was ritualistically important (113). She is contributing to the family income in her own way when each year she rakes the grass, carries w ater for the foxes, or cleans the watering dishes. Her father may be stern, but he is proud of his tom-boy. He remarks to a passing salesman, Like to have you meet my new hired man. This praise from her father fills her with delight, I turned away and raked furiously, red in the face with pleasure (112). Children need praise from their parents like they need food. Then, in the months prior to Christmas, Father slaughters the animals, skins them, and sells their pelts for the familys yearly income. He actually skins the foxes in the basement of the house where she lives. The smell of the pelting process . . . penetrated all parts of the house. The reader finds the whole process and the fact that she watches this process with her brother, Laird, repulsive at first, but she describes the process as reassuringly seasonal, like the smell of oranges and pine needles. These things are normal for her, yet in the following passage there is an under current that her fathers business is upsetting to her, although she is not fully aware of this until later in the story. We see the foreshadowing of this in the following line: WeShow MoreRelatedThe Feminist Movement By Kate Chopin And Boys And Girls By Alice Munro1231 Words   |  5 Pageseconomic rights equal to that of men. Two short stories, â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin and à ¢â‚¬Å"Boys and Girls† by Alice Munro, relate experiences from female perspectives, highlighting oppression against women. The authors use different techniques to show the protagonists’ similar struggle for liberation in their male-dominated environments. While Alice Munro uses the voice of a young girl to establish the limitations women face throughout their entire life, Kate Chopin uses the â€Å"heart disease†Read MoreJourney Motif in Boys and Girls by Alice Munro Essay1270 Words   |  6 PagesAlice Munros Journey Motif in Boys and Girls Many short stories are recognized as milestones in the development of modern realist fiction. â€Å"Boys and Girls† is a short story that evokes a realistic rather than romantic view of a girl’s journey towards finding herself. This short story includes the fight for her gender, and her struggle with her identity. Also, in addition to these two defining aspects, this short story contains the realistic account of who and what she is to become. Clearly