Boys and Girls Passage IOC Outline

Introduction:

The short story Boys and Girls is from Munro’s first collection, published in 1968, Dance of the Happy Shades. The most prevalent theme that acts as a steady undercurrent throughout the story is the theme of coming of age. Munro reveals gender expectations that boys and girls must succumb to according to societal standards. This story reveals a gender hierarchy and dichotomy that separates boys and girls.

Sequential Passage Analysis

This passage is situated after the unnamed protagonist opened the gate for Flora to let her free, as the father and Henry Baily tried to kill her.

1.     Symbolism of Flora

·      There are various parallels drawn between Flora and the protagonist.

·      “Flora would never really get away.” Despite all her efforts she is aware in her subconscious that she can never stray from the restrictive societal norms. She is aware of the fact that society expects her to behave in a certain manner.

·      “I was Flora.” She saw Flora in herself.

·      Flora is entrapped by forces greater than herself, akin to the narrator.
·      Attempting to free Flora is symbolic of her attempt to flee from societal norms.

2.     Idolizing the father

·      As a male figure he is respected. This displays his dominance as a male figure.

·      “Your poor father.” The mother displays sympathy for her hardworking husband.

·      The mother is associated with the kitchen and domestic jobs, such as “planning dinner” and “ironing.”

·      “Bloody overalls.” Males did the more useful work and were more brave.

3.     Coming of age to succumb to gender roles.

·      Overdriven by society and is forced to conform, and ignore her own emotional conflict.

·      She begins to display a more feminine demeanor as she makes her “room fancy” with “old lace,” She Is also “fixing herself.”

·      Females associated with aesthetics and domestic service.

·      These traits are regarded as subordinate but are mandatory to possess as a female to gain acceptance.

·      She is separating her room from Laird’s, which displays a gender division.

·      “We did not sing at night any more” displays coming of age.

·      “You sound silly” said Laird, which demeans her value, yet she does not reply and remained silent in obedience.

4.     Dreams

·      Her personality as it burgeons and she realizes that the societal values do not coincide with her own.

·      At first her narrator has grand dreams of action, heroism, and acclaim, but later the daydreams show her as a passive beneficiary of someone else’s heroism. 

·      “A story might start off in the old way, with spectacular danger... I might rescue people.” These are regarded as roles of dominance, which in such a society is attributed to males. Her dreams shift to being about somebody rescuing her instead. This mimics the hopelessness that society perceives in women. As incapable beings that are solely concerned with aesthetics and domestic service for their male counterparts. Her dreams “concerned itself at great length with what (she) looked like.” Hence, she is inevitably embodying her prescribed role.

·      These differing fantasy roles show the strict split between the gender binary, and display her coming of age and conforming to her respective role.

·      This demonstrates the manipulation in the narrative structure.

Conclusion
Thus, this story illustrates the coming of age journey of an oblivious, yet ambitious, young girl into a gendered adult. Finally, at the end of the passage, the death of Flora is symbolic of the death of the protagonists attempt to transgress societal expectations.