Characterization of the narrator

Outer characterization

The narrator is the main character in the short story “Boys and Girls” by Alice Munro. She lives on a farm in Canada and has a younger brother, Laird. When the incident with the horse occurs, she is 11 years old (p. 5, l. 34). We are not told much about her physical appearance. Towards the end of the story, the narrator becomes more concerned with her own appearance, imagining what she would look like in certain situations – “how long my hair was, and what kind of dress I had on” (p. 11, ll. 11-12). The narrator has a “frail and supplicating” (p. 2, l. 18) voice as a child. She enjoys singing (p. 2, ll. 20-21).

Inner characterization

The narrator has a rich imagination. She makes up stories with herself as the hero. In these, the narrator assumes a traditional male gender role (p. 2, ll. 23-33). However, she is aware that how she appears in her imagination is different from her real self: 

I had only been on a...

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