Society's Perceptions In Boys And Girls By Alice Munro

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Just a girl… Do the pressures of society influence the way a person perceives themselves? This idea is accurately demonstrated in the short story “Boys and Girls” by Alice Munro. The story conveys the interplay between how the narrator perceives herself and society’s views on girls. Initially, The narrator of the story perceived herself completely different than those around her, but through the constraint of the expectations of her family and society, her perception of herself progressed into the ideas of those around her.

Originally, the narrator’s comprehension of herself was in sharp opposition to the opinions of her family. Her viewpoint on life and perception of herself was very childlike, and unprejudiced; whilst that of her family …show more content…

She slowly progressed to the ideas of her family, accepting that she was inferior to the men in her life. Her daydreams had changed drastically, from her being the hero and saving many; to being the one that was getting rescued. She put a lot of emphasis on her appearance in her daydreams, taking time to work out the details of her hair, and what outfit she was wearing. She redecorated her room, revising it to be more feminine, with lace curtains and a dressing table. She also created barricades, separating the space between her and Laird, in hopes of retaining privacy. She disobeyed her father and let a horse out of the pen, because she felt sorry for the horse, while her brother had no remorse when he came home and discussed how he had killed it. For the last time in the story her father called her “only a girl,” and she believed it. She did not protest and was convinced in her heart that it was true. Her perception on herself transitioned to that of her family, because of the influence of the outside

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