It is the societal expectations and perceptions of the world “Vandals” inhabits that clouds the characters minds till the truth of what has been wrought is difficult to comprehend. Yet the pedophilia, domestic abuse, and titular vandalism that take place in the story provide clear evidence of the influence of society on the characters’ ability to discern such issues. The pedophilic relationship apparent in the short story starts when Ladner finds two small children, Liza and her brother Kenny, rooting around his garden and gradually spends more time with them (Munro 285). From the first moment in which he meets them he appears menacing, “with a little axe” in hand, the children both prepubescent and from a troubled home, matching the criteria …show more content…
The domestic abuse she accepts from Ladner due to her inability to separate her own self-worth from his approval of her is evidenced by her delight in having been “cured of all her… vanity and… old notions of love,” or love as something equally sexually and intellectually stimulating (Munro 274). Reminiscent of Jane Eyre’s Rochester acting the coy fortune teller to manipulate Jane’s perception of him, so too does Ladner play the stereotypical bad-boy of some “dreary romance” who deliberately denies Bea’s sexual advances to imply that he is above such base desires; playing into the 50’s mentality that Bea was somehow dirtier than Ladner solely for appearing to have a greater sex drive than him (Munro 268). Liza, however, provides another perception of Bea as an ignorant, pitiful adult whom shatters any hopes of salvation, though young Liza is unable to delineate what exactly she expected of Bea (Munro 287). However, considering (and at times in spite of) the time frame, the society Liza is raised in has most likely influenced her perception of a grown woman as having an inherent ability to be a mother figure to her. She is resentful of Bea because she does not fulfill this societal role, tragically placing more blame upon her than Ladner till she is grown and able to see the similar abuse and lack of control she and Bea unwittingly shared under his attentions. Thus, the mocking and sexist injustices Bea endures are tied to societal gender roles beyond her control, effectively distorting even her fellow victims’ perception of her and instilling a need to choose to forget Ladner’s offences for some semblance of