Nameless Girl By Alice Munro

Alice Munro conveys the viewpoint of a young girl who has a differing perspective concerning the rules set in place for girls. Furthermore, through this nameless girl, Munro points out the daily trials and tribulations faced by females who live on farms due to their gender. For instance, the tasks given to the females, the subordinate manner of language the men and even other women use on other women and girls. In addition, as stated previously the author does not name the girl, to reinforce the perspective of how unimportant women were. Support for this claim can be by the fact that Munro gives relatively all the other character’s names, even having the animals receive their own names to further demonstrate the lack of importance given to

This loss is emphasized by her thought that “Maybe it was true” and that she was nothing but a girl, suggesting the surrender of her individuality as she is now categorized in a group and labeled as a girl. This statement signifies her eventual compliance to society’s rules pertaining to gender, which will eventually lead her to become a woman whose main goal is to find a husband and bear healthy children for him. Just as well of the fact that it may have occurred either way; however, even then she would not have felt concerned of society’s gender norms if she had her own choice in what she did for her life had it not been as fixed in place by her father’s

For instance, describing in annoyance how her Grandmother asserts that she must “act like a proper lady, stand up straight, cross her legs when she sits etc.…” when all the girl wants to do is to be let be. Another important relationship in the story was that of the girl and her brother Laird, who in the beginning listens and follows his sister without question. However, throughout the story you notice that his views have changed and it is then at the end where he informs his father of the girl’s choice to open the gate instead of closing it, allowing their horse to escape from death only momentarily, which is something Laird would seem to never do and in a way betrayed her. This change in his character was held firmly by his impassive comment at the end of the story on his sister’s emotions when she is crying to demonstrate how weak she