Walker Brothers Cowboy

Alice Munro has often been described as a feminist author. Discuss how (or whether) “Walker Brothers Cowboy” advances feminist themes. Cite textual examples to support your interpretation.

The other stories in the collection Dance of the Happy Shades share a similar setting. Read one other story from the collection and compare and contrast the ways in which setting helps to develop characterization and plot in both stories.

In coming-of-age stories, adult role models are important secondary characters. What role models does the protagonist have in this story? How do the adults in her life shape, aid, or deter her emotional maturation?

Discuss the title of this short story, “Walker Brothers Cowboy.” What does the title represent or allude to? How does the meaning of the title change after one has read the story?

Discuss the relationship between the protagonist and her younger brother. Consider how (or whether) her brother serves as a foil for the protagonist.

Conduct a close reading of the scene in which the protagonist and her father meet the unhoused person at the docks. How does this scene demonstrate the essence of Ben’s character, and his daughter’s?

How would this story change if it were narrated in the third person? How would a change in narrative voice impact the characterization, themes, or our understanding of the protagonist’s transformation?

The past has a strong pull on the characters in this short story. Select three characters (Ben, Nora, the mother, or the protagonist) and discuss how each character perceives the past. Do their perceptions change from the beginning to the end? Cite textual examples to support your analysis.