Lives of Girls and Women

“So lying alongside our world was Uncle Benny’s world like a troubling distorted reflection, the same but never at all the same.”

Here, Munro utilizes language that appears more sophisticated than what a typical young child would use, which highlights the reflective nature of Del’s narration. As an adult, Del can view events from her childhood through a more experienced lens, allowing her to provide a nuanced look at her childhood.

“Masculine self-centeredness made him restful to be with.”

Del discusses her relationship with Uncle Craig, which allows Munro to further a conversation regarding gender. Narratively, Del is still a young girl, so her comfort resides in the lack of judgment between her and Uncle Craig. On the other hand, Del’s future self, who narrates the story, recognizes that this lack of judgment derives from Craig’s patriarchal perspective of the world.

“Aunt Elspeth and Auntie Grace told stories. It did not seem as if they were telling them to me, to entertain me, but as if they would have told them anyway, for their own pleasure, even if they had been alone.”

Munro introduces the importance of the oral storytelling tradition that will influence how Del begins to perceive the world. As Del is already interested in reading and writing, the act of sharing stories between people allows Del to begin to frame her experiences as though they are stories as well.

“I was welcomed and enjoyed, yes, but I was tainted by other influences and by half my heredity; my upbringing was riddled with heresies that could never all be put straight.”

When Mary Agnes comes to stay with Aunts Elspeth and Grace along with Del, Del worries that having grown up in poverty—and under the influence of Ada, whose housekeeping and outspokenness they judge harshly—affects their perception of her. This is one of the first moments that Munro presents Del as being consciously aware of her social class.

“Being dead, it invited desecration. I wanted to poke it, trample it, pee on it, anything to punish it, to show what contempt I had for its being dead.”

The dead cow allows Munro to illustrate how concepts such as mortality are hard for Del to grasp as a child. She feels contempt toward the dead animal because death makes her feel uncomfortable, and she does not yet know what to do with the idea of dying. This scene foreshadows the death of Uncle Craig later in the story.

“[Ada] would have never understood how she needed shielding, from two old ladies with their mild bewildering humor, their tender proprieties.”

When Del’s great aunts belittle Ada for getting a job, Del feels a desire to protect her mother from their harsh words because of the love she has for her. Although Del and Ada have their differences, Del understands why Ada makes certain choices, such as moving to Jubilee, for the benefit of their own lives. Del also shares her mother’s distaste for social norms that don’t serve her. However, the aunts believe women are not meant to be working in the capacity that Ada does.

“Nature is just one thing preying on another all the way down the line […] Cruelty is the law of Nature.”

Ada demonstrates an interest in the natural world through her engagement with scientific articles, which allow her to explore her perception of the world around her. Narratively, this occurs after Ada tells Del about her childhood, and Ada says this to Uncle Bill, who sexually abused her. Munro thus uses the topic of nature to allow Ada to express her feelings about her past.

“I never had a picture of God so clear and uncomplicated as my picture of the burglars.”

At the beginning of “Age of Faith,” Del remarks on her mother’s belief in burglars, prompting concrete images of lurking thieves in her mind. However, her inability to conjure a similar image of God causes her to feel uncomfortable with faith and propels her to learn more about the existence of God.

“I hoped that people would be intrigued and touched by my devoutness and persistence, knowing my mother’s beliefs or nonbeliefs, as they did.”

Del divulges that she hopes others will perceive her as pious, particularly as Ada does not hide her lack of faith or other unconventional viewpoints from her community. Del’s religious journey is not just her attempt at understanding her faith, but also her sense of self.

“God was made by a man! Not the other way around! God was made by man. Man at a lower and bloodthirstier stage of his development than he is at now, we hope. Man made God in his image.”

When Del and her mother discuss God, Ada reveals that she believes God is invented by man. Munro establishes that Ada’s contempt for religion revolves around the cruelty she sees in Biblical stories and hymns, such as the crucifixion. Ada is unable to imagine such a God conjured by anyone except people. Ada’s beliefs stem from her own experiences with men as well as her decision to prioritize science over faith.

“Seeing somebody have faith, close up, is no easier than seeing someone chop a finger off.”

Del’s commentary revolves around having to watch Owen beg for her to pray or show him how to pray for Major’s life. She worries that the prayer will not work, and she does not want to give Owen false hope. In this moment, Del decides to take a stand against faith and follow in Ada’s footsteps as a nonbeliever, solidifying the end of her religious journey.

“There was seldom anybody in the library except the librarian, Bella Phippen, deaf as a stone and lame in one leg from polio. The Council let her be a librarian because she could never have managed a proper job.”

Munro’s inclusion of the librarian provides Del with an example of someone who does not fit within the typical social structure, which gives Del comfort. Narratively, it opens a discussion about how people with disabilities fit within a social structure that was built for people without disabilities. This quotation also highlights the lack of value placed on the librarian’s position by suggesting it’s not a “proper job.”

“Naomi lived on Mason Street, I lived on River Street; that was the basis of our friendship.”

Del indicates that her friendship with Naomi emerged initially out of convenience. The narrative implies that Del keeps Naomi at an emotional distance because she does not trust that Naomi will not look down on her for her upbringing or liking stereotypical feminine topics like hair and makeup.

“I loved him. I loved the Pied Piper. I loved Frank Wales.”

Del’s thought process appears frantic as she processes her emotions surrounding her first crush. This serves as one of the “changes” that Del undergoes in this story as she begins puberty and experiences romantic feelings for the first time.

“It was a mystery presented without explanation and without hope of explanation, in all insolence, like a clear blue sky. No revelation here.”

After Miss Farris drowns in the river, Del worries about how there is no answer to her mysterious death; this causes her to see Jubilee and the rest of the world in a different light. As Del undergoes her final “change” in this story, she begins to see how the world can be filled with injustices.

“All those qualities my mother had developed for her assault on life—sharpness, smartness, determination, selectiveness—seemed to have their opposites in Fern, with her diffuse complaints, lazy movements, indifferent agreeableness.”

Del discusses the differences between Ada and Fern, who are the two women she lives with. She begins to take notice of how, despite their differences, Fern and Ada sustain a strong friendship, which serves as a model for how Del can navigate her friendships with people like Naomi.

“Each of us was suspected of carrying the seeds of contamination—in my case atheism, in Naomi’s, of sexual preoccupation.”

When Del speaks of why the two girls are not popular in each other’s houses, she explains that it is due to their families and upbringings. Although Del does not express this at the moment, her ability to reflect on the past allows her to make these connections as an adult, adding complexity to her friendship with Naomi.

“It was clear [Art Chamberlain and Del’s father] saw the war in different ways. My father saw it as an overall design, marked off in campaigns, which had purpose, which failed or succeeded. Mr. Chamberlain saw it as a conglomeration of stories, leading nowhere in particular. He made stories to be laughed at.”

In this moment, Munro provides a glimpse into the internal lives of the men in the story. This allows her to create a two-fold meaning. First, this perspective comes from Del, which provides insight into how she views men. Second, this moment is one of the few times that Munro explores the perspectives of men, and she does so to comment on the state of society as World War II continues in the background.

“There is a change coming I think in the lives of girls and women. Yes. But it is up to us to make it come. All women have had up till now has been their connection with men. All we have had. No more lives of our own, really, than domestic animals.”

Ada’s comment provides Del with the influence and motivation to live her life how she deems fit. Munro uses not only the title of the story but also the collection, to suggest that one’s identity can be crafted and molded how they deem fit, especially for women. Notably, this conversation occurs as Del is experiencing curiosity about sexuality and relationships with men.

“As soon as she started getting paychecks Naomi began to do what it seemed all the girls did, until they got married. She went around to various stores and had them put things away for her, which she would pay for at so much a month.”

Del condemns Naomi for placing layaway orders for household objects to prepare for marriage and setting up a home, and her overall commentary is aimed toward the other girls their age as well. This moment comments on the traditional path of young women moving from their parents’ homes to their eventual husbands’ houses.

“Certain passages in the music excited me so that I could not sit still but would have to get up and walk round and round the dining room, singing in my head with the voices on the radio, hugging myself and squeezing my elbows.”

Del is moved not only by books but also by listening to the Metropolitan Opera, which combines music with storytelling. Stories provide Del with an escape and help her develop her sense of identity as she explores different worlds and characters.

“I was afraid if I did not laugh at once I would give the impression of being too naïve to understand the joke, or being offended by it.”

In this moment, Del, again, fears being perceived negatively, so she tries to force herself to act in a certain way. Rather than accepting herself, she believes that if someone were to view her negatively, it would be her fault.

“[Naomi] spoke with a maternal sort of resignation, pride even, as if to drink like a fish and drive like a fool was somehow the proper thing, deplorable but necessary.”

When Naomi and Del speak about Clive and Bert after the night in the hotel room, Del’s view of how Naomi speaks about Clive’s drunk driving accident illustrates how she condemns the dismissal of poor behavior. Munro also utilizes this moment to explore how the patriarchal system of the time gives men a pass for acting with irresponsibility. The comment regarding Naomi’s tone implies that she has accepted this type of behavior as normal.