The Lives Of Girls And Women Analysis

Female coming of age stories are especially intriguing, considering that society often has a set of ideals about what is of value to women and what young women should experience. The Lives of Girls and Women, by Alice Munro, introduces the story of a girl named Del growing into a woman. Del is a young girl who is primarily raised by her mother. Del explores her sexuality, her religious beliefs, her sense of self-empowerment, and the function of gender in society. Housekeeping, written by Marilynne Robinson, is about the life of a young girl named Ruthie and her subtle transformation into a woman. Ruth is a seemingly odd and plain girl who takes little interest in the conventional endeavors of young women. She experiences a series of losses …show more content…
Their grandmother cared for the girls until she died, then their great aunts, and finally their aunt Sylvie, who seems to be the only caretaker that displays a genuine affection for the girls. Ruth describes the abandonment and suicide of her mother with ease. She is clearly desensitized to loss and abandonment, seeing as she has not had any form of a secure attachment to a guardian. When someone “chooses” to leave their family behind and to end their life, it leaves a different kind of mark on family members. Ruthie does not explicitly discuss her feelings about it, but a series of losses impacts one’s identity and personality. Ruth is odd and passive, while her sister Lucille is opinionated and takes the lead, despite her being younger than Ruth. When Sylvie is introduced into their lives, it creates a divide among the sisters. They both hope to see their mother in Sylvie, but only Ruth finds comfort in Sylvie’s peculiarity, while Lucille desperately desires a normal and ordinary life. We see a strong connection between Sylvie and Ruthie in this …show more content…
Del lives on the Flats Road, which is described as “not part of town but it was not part of the country either” (Munro, 9). The Flats Road is the larger idea of convention and tradition. It is a representation of the typical 1940s mindset held by society, where girls and women lead traditional lives that consist of conventional roles. It is no wonder Del’s mother insists that they live “at the end of the Flats Road, as if that made all the difference” (Munro, 10). The Flats Road is this in-between place, with no true identity other than strangeness and mystery. The mystery lies in Del’s direct or indirect experiences of odd people in very odd situations. The oddness begins with Uncle Benny marrying a woman that abuses her daughter, Del’s flirtatious experience with Mr. Chamberlain leading to seeing him masturbate in front of her, and the quiet separation of Del’s parents. The strange ambience of the Flats Road contributes to Del’s growth and identity as she journeys through the various stages of coming into her