Everyone wonders at some point in their life why they became the person they are. Most people like to believe they had a choice in determining who they would eventually become. However, the stereotype of gender in the society had predetermined what we are. There is an assumption that men¡s work are always done by men and women can never takeover men¡s work even though women are more qualified in many cases. In Alice Munro¡s ¡§Boys and Girls¡, the character of Henry Bailey represents the nature of arrogance in men¡s gender.
             The main character is the girl and she is the narrator of the story. She remains nameless throughout the entirety of the tale. The lack of a name creates an image of a girl who is almost ethereal and also signifies other characters with name, such as the girl¡s brother Laird and the hired man Henry Bailey. The majority of the girl¡s personality is based on the fact that she is in a state of change through experiencing and imitating other characters in the story. She has only a few peers to look for examples on who to be, because the girl¡s life on a farm provides for an environment lacking in social interaction. The narrator watches her parents on a daily basis, and she analyzes everything they do. Her father, a hard-working farmer and a selfless family man, becomes her most dominating role model. Her mother is constantly attempting to pull her away from outdoor labor. She would rather want her to stay in the dark kitchen all day and help her cook and clean. Other than her parents, the third most important character is the hired man, Henry Bailey, who was introduced at the beginning of the story.
             Henry is an old man with health problems, as we can see in these lines, ¡§ Henry Bailey suffered from bronchial troubles. He would cough and cough until his narrow face turned scarlet, ¡K¡K, and, standing well back, shot out a great clot of phlegm ¡Vhsss- straight into the heart of the flame...