In society there has always been the stereotyping of males and females, particularly their roles in society and how they are expected to behave. Men were classified as strong and the females were characterized as weak and helpless. In the short stories, “Boys and Girls” by Alice Munro and “The Glass Roses” by Alden Nowlan, this theme is very apparent through the two main characters in the stories. The two main characters are two young adolescents that are going through drastic changes, while society’s pressure is on them. Both characters in the two stories share similar characteristics and differences.
The main character in “Boys and Girls” is a girl who is nameless because the author probably wanted to stress out the male and female gender roles in society. She is a tomboy because she really enjoys working outside with her father doing chores; however, her mother wants her inside helping. The girl is in that stage in her life where she is stuck between being a child and being a girl. The role of being a girl was not just what she was “it was what [she] had to become.” This is very similar to Stephan in “the Glass Roses.” He is a willowy 15 year old
The two main characters share many similar characteristics; however, there are many differences in the two characters growth throughout the stories. The girl does not want to act like a girl because at the end she does which signifies how her dreams change dues to societal pressures. Her breaking down and crying was the big moment in the story because it was true, she was only just a girl. This is very different in Stephen’s case because he wants to become a man but he just can not be what his father wants him to be; he is quite the opposite of what his father wants. He is sensitive and just like the glass roses there was no room for them in this world. Typically Men are not supposed to be sensitive and show emotions while means he is frail and weak and in this world men were suppose to be strong. He seems to be stuck at that point in his life where it is between childhood and man hood.
The girl and Stephen both were faced with society’s pressure and while the girl gave her dream of being a hero up, Stephen did not. Particularly both grow in the direction of society’s stereotyping of males and females roles.
who works with his dad cutting down trees. He despera
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