Gender Role and Narrator
Since the beginning of time, gender roles have existed in society. And the pressure of that role made women Struggles against society's ideas of how gender roles should be, as well as threats of a feminist influence on some issues found in "Boys and Girls", written by Alice Munro, and “playing to win” ,by Margaret Whitney, these stories emphasizes the external societal and parental forces that shape the protagonist. These aspects also change who they become. The external pressure by society and by family influence the protagonist in both story.
Mother in the both story “playing to win” and “Boys and Girls” doesn’t support their daughter when they wish to be more masculine than feminine. For example, the protagonist in the “Boys and Girls” prefers to help her father than to help her mother in the kitchen. However, because narrator’s mother has strong idea about indoor and outdoor territoriality, her mother thinks it’s wrong for a girl to work outside. “I just get my back turned and she runs off. It’s not like I have a girl in the family at all”. Even though there are two kids in the house the narrator’s mother only think of the narrator to help her in the house because she’s the only girl. Also In the “playing to win” the narrator disapproves of her daughter playing sports. She sates “my daughter is an athlete. Nowadays, this statement won’t strike many parents as unusual, but it does me.” This illustrates that her daughter doesn’t fit into society’s idea about women.
Father in both story support their daughter. Father in “boys and Girls” support the narrator in act of helping him. He allows her to work out side and introduce her as his “new hired man”. The narrator trusts her father and believes that he will “not pay attention to what her mother said”. Also in “playing to win”, father give advice and cheer for his daughter in playing sports. The narrator states “my husband, for example, talked to Ann differently when he realized she was a serious competitor…”
Mother in the both story “playing to win” and “Boys and Girls” doesn’t support their daughter when they wish to be more masculine than feminine. For example, the protagonist in the “Boys and Girls” prefers to help her father than to help her mother in the kitchen. However, because narrator’s mother has strong idea about indoor and outdoor territoriality, her mother thinks it’s wrong for a girl to work outside. “I just get my back turned and she runs off. It’s not like I have a girl in the family at all”. Even though there are two kids in the house the narrator’s mother only think of the narrator to help her in the house because she’s the only girl. Also In the “playing to win” the narrator disapproves of her daughter playing sports. She sates “my daughter is an athlete. Nowadays, this statement won’t strike many parents as unusual, but it does me.” This illustrates that her daughter doesn’t fit into society’s idea about women.
Father in both story support their daughter. Father in “boys and Girls” support the narrator in act of helping him. He allows her to work out side and introduce her as his “new hired man”. The narrator trusts her father and believes that he will “not pay attention to what her mother said”. Also in “playing to win”, father give advice and cheer for his daughter in playing sports. The narrator states “my husband, for example, talked to Ann differently when he realized she was a serious competitor…”