Analysis Of Boys And Girls By Alice Munro

At a young age, many individuals are told of how they should behave and how they should think. To this day individuals are pressured to conform to society’s standards. These rules and expectations were established and kept in the interest of the human need to belong. However, history has shown that these expectations negatively impacts an individual’s development. The struggle in pursuing a belief different to society’s is challenging. To be different, one is either shamed or celebrated for it. In Alice Munro’s short story, Boys and Girls, a young girl is forced to conform to her gender roles. When an individual is faced with societal pressure, it can lead an individual to abandon their persistence to pursue their self-interests and instead conform to the beliefs of others; maintaining one’s integrity is the key to overcoming society’s standards.

Initially, the narrator rebels against society’s standards, pursuing what she believes is deemed more important. She begins to describe how their fox farm works, from the killing of the foxes, skinning, and to the preparation of the furs. The narrator states how her mother dislikes the business and the smell it comes with, however, she expresses that she quite likes the smell; finding it reassuringly seasonal. This opening establishes the relationship between the mother and the narrator and suggests that their beliefs and values are different. At night, when the narrator is settled in her bed, she tells herself stories of her