Lives of Girls and Women

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains references to murder, death by suicide and suicidal ideation, and sexual abuse, including sexual interactions between an adult and a young teenager. The source text also includes outdated and offensive language surrounding race and mental health conditions that are reproduced only via quotations.

“Old frogs knew enough to stay out of our way, but we did not want them; it was the slim young green ones, the juicy adolescents, that we were after, cool and slimy; we squished them tenderly in our hands, then plopped them in a honey pail and put the lid on.”

In the first story, Del Jordan explores her childhood, which sets up the collection as a coming-of-age text. This moment also illustrates a connection between Del, as a young girl, with the natural world and compares her own coming-of-age with that of an adolescent frog. By doing so, Munro uses concrete imagery with abstract comparisons by drawing connections between the young girl and nature without directly pointing this out to the reader.

“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.