In “Calling Home,” by Jean Brandt and “An American Childhood” by Annie Dillard, both girls grapple with their sense of conscience and right and wrong. In the process, both girls experience memorable lessons as a result of the decisions they make. In "Calling Home," thirteen-year-old Jean realizes that her actions affect not only her but, more importantly, her loved ones, when she is caught shoplifting and arrested during a Christmas shopping trip with her siblings and grandmother. In "An American Childhood," seven-year-old Annie realizes that adults and their feelings are valid and that they can be as vulnerable and full of tenacity as a child after she and her friend find themselves pursued by a man who doesn't neither is he. amused by being the target of their snowball-throwing antics. In both stories, Annie and Jean are pleased with their sense of power and control. Both girls show a general lack of respect for authority by justifying their actions and showing a false sense of entitlement to pursue and get what they want, as if ordinary rules don't apply to them. Both girls' actions are based on power and recognition between each other. colleagues: In “Calling Home,” the author explains: “Snoopy was the last. If you owned something with Peanuts on it, you were 'in'" (19). When she steals the pin, Jean feels proud that she outsmarted everyone and that what she did didn't go unnoticed. Once confronted, the false sense of Jean's confidence and disbelief is reflected in the following statements: “Where did this man come from? How did he know? I was so sure no one had seen me…I couldn't believe what he was saying” (Brandt 20). American Childhood", Annie takes pride in "her boyfriend's arm" and being the only girl accepted by a group of older boys. She exudes confidence in participating with her friends. The author explains, “It was all or nothing. .. Your fate and your team's score depended on your focus and courage. Nothing the girls did could compare to this” (Dillard 22) In contrast to Jean's dismay, Annie enthusiastically describes the surprised at being chased and waiting to be scolded: “It was an immense discovery, pounding into my hot head with every joyful, flowing step, that this ordinary adult evidently knew what I thought only children knew” (Dillard 23).