Identity In 'Boys And Girls And Shiloh'

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A huge struggle in life is trying to find ourselves and determine our identity, both in the present and the future. Now, we all may not find ourselves at such a young age, but eventually we will figure out how we are accepted into this world. Fictional characters may not get to live throughout the entirety of a story, but while present, they can keep the story going. An author may have been in a particular situation and now they are expressing their thoughts through their characters in their writing. Identity and self-reflection are natural in stories, both fictional and nonfictional. The two stories that are being compared within literary devices have similar ways in which the authors express their thoughts: “Boys and Girls” by Alice Munro and “Shiloh” by Bobbie Ann Mason. In both “Boys and Girls” and “Shiloh” readers can see the theme of the search and acceptance of self-identity in Munro and Mason’s choices of setting, symbol and characterization. …show more content…

“Boys and Girls” is about a young girl who struggles with her gender. Not only does she seek attention, mostly from her father, but she also sees herself as the true hero in her family. This little girl begins to wonder what life is about when a salesman comes to the house and states how he thought it was only a girl. She disobeys her father’s orders and thinks nothing of it to apologize to him. In “Shiloh” there was a different twist to the story. As the story unfolds we find Norma Jean and Leroy turning in opposite directions. Leroy was injured in a truck driving accident and is very limited in what he does. Norma Jean finds herself picking up the slack for her husband and working twice, causing much tension. This makes Norma Jean question her life and wonder what life would be like in the present

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