"Boys and Girls" and Symbolism

A truly powerful piece of literature incorporates symbolism throughout the work that ties together the main ideas portrayed by the author. In the short story "Boys and Girls" by Alice Munro, the reader can pick up on two influential and potent symbols, which play a huge role in revealing the theme of gender roles and in revealing character. The foxes are an effective symbol of the narrator and protagonist of this story, a young nameless girl who is living on a fox farm with her family. The fact that she is nameless also reiterates the foxes as an efficacious symbol, because a fox would not receive a name until it served a purpose for the narrator's father. Through this connection it is easy to see that in her father's eyes she serves no purpose because she is not a male. The foxes are trapped in pens of her father's design, isolated and enclosed, which is how the narrator feels because of her gender. As a woman she is assumed to spend her life in the house, cooking and cleaning. The house represents the fox pen, a prison that the narrator sees no escape from. The second symbol is Flora, a bright and animated horse who is sentenced to be slaughtered. The narrator allows Flora to escape at the last minute, opening the gate wide and letting her run free. Flora is also a symbol for the protagonist, she is vivacious and energetic but constantly confined by man. When the narrator allows Flora to run through the gate, it is symbolic of her want for freedom and escape from the farm and the limitations of societal roles. Flora's freedom is short lived, and she returns home to the farm  cut "up in fifty pieces". This illustrates the idea that there is no escape from the gender roles society has put in place. The foxes and Flora the horse agglomerate together to enforce the theme of gender roles and reveal the character of the protagonist in an impactful and compelling way.