Alice Munros Boys and Girls :: Boys and Girls, Alice Munro

Alice Munros Boys and GirlsAlice Munros short story, Boys and Girls, has a very interestingdetail pen into it. The narrators brother is named Laird, which wascarefully chosen by the author. Laird is a synonym for lord, which plays aimportant role in a story where a y come onhful girl has societys unwritten rulesforced upon her. At the time of the story, society did non consider manpower andwo influence force equal. The name symbolized how the male child was superior in theparents eyes and in general. Along with that, the name also symbolizes thedifference betwixt the sexes when this story took place.The time when this story took place was a time when men and women werenot equal. Mothers had traditional roles, which usually left them in the house, composition men also had their roles, away(p) of the house. The male was the dominantfigure in the house, while the woman had to be subservient.It was an off thing to see my mother take at the barn. She did notoften come out of the ho use unless it was to do something - hang out the wash ordig potatoes in the garden. She looked out of place, with her bare lumpy legs,not touched by the sun, her apron unagitated on and damp across the stomach from thesupper dishes.1The narrator had problems coming to term with the role in life that shewas expected to lead. She wanted to work outside with her father doing the workthat she deemed important. The mother tried to get the narrator to work insidedoing work deemed appropriate for a lady, however it was not something sheenjoyed. I hated the hot dark kitchen in the summer (p. 530). The narratorwas not considered of any consequential wait on to her father, simply because shewas female.Could of fooled me, said the salesman. I imagination it was only a girl(p. 529). Even though the narrator could do more work than her younger brother,she was s till under appreciated. Wait till Laird gets a little bigger, thenyoull have a real help (p. 530). Laird, on the other hand, was abl e to goout and do the things that he enjoyed. When Flora, the familys horse, runsaway Laird is invited to join the father and his assistant to re-capture thehorse, while the narrator must stay at home.When the narrator is reminiscing of the past, she recalls a time whenshe lured Laird up to the backsheesh of the barn. The whole purpose of this idea was