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Essay / Gender Discrimination in Boys and Girls by Alice Munro
Gender roles/discrimination have been known for a long time and still exist today. In the story “Boys and Girls” written by Alice Munro, the main character faces difficulties in breaking gender stereotypes while being surrounded by people who do not support her decisions. In this short story, the main character, who remains anonymous, wants to follow in his father's footsteps in the fox farming business. This is a situation where a young woman is in conflict between the job she must do and the job that her sexual orientation allows her to do. She wants to fulfill her father's career by raising foxes for their skins, which is generally a man's job. This idea makes her mother cannot help but contradict the young woman's need to support her father. The mother pushes the daughter to help her with household chores while her brother, Laird, is given more important work to help his father. The conflict in the story helps us understand the persistent gender stereotype that the main character faces throughout her mission to discover what she truly wants to accomplish. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Alice Munro's assemblage of an anonymous female character suggests that this character is personalityless or to show weakness/less importance of a woman. However, his brother is named. The younger brother Laird (meaning lord) suggests that he, through the excellence of his sexual orientation alone, has a personality and is regarded higher by their family. This stereotype in names alone implies that gender plays an important role from early childhood to adulthood. This name symbolizes society's prejudices against men and the predominance of male children in the eyes of their parents. The way the main character remains anonymous while his brother is given the name Laird implies the distinction between the sexes. The main character's dream that she could help her father with his work is dashed when she understands society's point of view and its desires for her. The daughter needs to work with her father on their farm and likes the consideration her father gives her when she works. This is demonstrated when a salesman visits the ranch while the girl helps her father rake the freshly cut grass; her father introduces her as his “new employee”. The seller responds: “I could have been wrong. I thought it was just a girl. If it had been her brother, Laird, rather than the young woman, circumstances would probably have been different. The seller's response clearly shows that everyone at that time thinks what the main character is doing is strange. It is also clear that the main character is not ready to recognize and guarantee her responsibilities as a woman in society, mainly because she would not like to be the young woman that the entire society expects of a girl . She makes a decent attempt to find out what her identity is, but would not like to do feminine tasks such as staying at home. Laird begins to become interested in the men's work of hunting and killing the horse, and the main character, although not yet accepting his mother's work, disengages from his father's work and turns to the more feminine work of decorating her room. . Neither of them sing any more songs, although as the narrator continues to enjoy it, Laird begins to stop. This is an example of both Laird becoming more masculine, because he no longer wants to sing songs, and thenarrator who becomes more feminine, because she bows so easily to her brother's opinion. Laird has begun to accept the role of "leader" instead of just being the younger brother and the narrator takes into account the opinions of others when deciding her actions, instead of just doing what she wants. From the beginning to the end of the story, the narrator undergoes a transformation from a farm child into a young woman. From my point of view, she's not particularly masculine to begin with; rather, she is a blank slate attempting to rebel against what she sees as an unjust society. Even though it's clear that the main character would much rather be with her father, the family continually pushes the girl to be a girl who sticks to her gender role. The way the storyteller adores her father is further evidence of her attempt to break gender stereotypes. Over time, the weight of one's family becomes more difficult to avoid. The main character's grandmother seems to be the ideal case of how women were perceived. Having been raised in a time when the standards imposed on women were considerably stricter, the grandmother best expresses what a young woman's mentality should be. “Girls don’t slam doors like that. » “Girls keep their knees together when they sit. » The storyteller does not give in to the advice offered to her and reacts with resistance. From then on she continued to slam doors and sit in an unladylike manner hoping that would free her. The main character is not ready to recognize and vouch for her role as a woman in society – a tendency that bothers her mother and it is at this point that the mother, knowingly, forces the main character to perform household chores. is expected later throughout his life. The young woman nevertheless seems to accept that if she does not correspond to the principles of society, she can find her opportunity and break this stereotype in one way or another. The grandmother comes from a time when standards were much stricter for young women. The main character's parents are less strict than the grandmother and much less frank. She expresses what she was taught when she was little. At that time, young women were expected to be humble and obedient, while men were expected to be muscular and have a stronger appearance. There is a fine line when it comes to the obligations that young men and women should expect. in a safe place for the men and women of the ranch and inside the house separately. Common generalizations in the book regarding the qualities of young men and young women depict young men as dominant and energetic while young women remain uninvolved and quiet when accepting their jobs in the mainstream. Additionally, it is recommended that heavy agricultural work and fox hunting be the future responsibility of young men, while housework is for young women. The main character enjoys helping out on the farm, which is a job reserved for men, and continually seeking approval from his father while becoming more distant and avoiding advice from his mother and grandmother asking him to work at home. Keep in mind: This is only a sample.Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a Custom EssayIn the story, it is evident that the main character's parents take into account the attitude and outlook of their daughter regarding the issue of sexual orientation. Parents also encouraged gender roles by raising..