The summary analyzes a passage from Alice Munro's story "The Boat" that describes the shared bedroom space of a girl and her brother Laird. It notes that the lack of clear boundaries between the siblings in the bedroom is manifesting in other areas of the girl's life, as she tries to develop her own identity but her and Laird's roles remain interchangeable. The passage also describes how the two sleep on "life rafts" on a square of worn carpet that defines their bedroom space, and that Munro illustrates the children's bedroom space carefully for the reader.

2. The lack of clear spatial boundaries between the male and female siblings in the bedroom continues to manifest in other areas of the girl's life. She is attempting to create an identity for herself, but her and Laird’s roles are very much interchangeable at this point. As the two get older, it is unlikely they will continue to share such an open space together. The two sleep on "life rafts" placed on a square of "worn carpet which defined [their] bedroom space". Munro is also careful to illustrate the children's bedroom, or lack thereof, to the reader. T E. A .

3. Homework: Now, in an analytical/T.E.A paragraph or two, find a way to explain why it is particularly appropriate for the narrator of “The Boat” to use such rich intertextual allusions, and how this might relate to our overall understanding of the story. Submit, by Tues Jan 26, in the Dropbox.