Summary

The short story “Boys and Girls” by Alice Munro features a young girl who lives on a fox farm. She and her younger brother, Laird, enjoy watching their father and hired hand, Henry Bailey, work at pelting the foxes. The children are afraid of the room where they sleep in, especially in the dark, and sing songs before they fall asleep. The narrator imagines stories in which she is the hero, rescuing people and doing other such feats of bravery. However, in reality, she cannot ride a horse and is still learning to shoot. 

The narrator helps her father with farm activities, such as fetching water for the foxes in summer and cutting the grass. Her father seems proud of her and boasts of her to people who pass by. The narrator enjoys helping her father with his work much more than he...