Calling Home

In “Calling Home”, by Jean Brandt and “An American Childhood” by Annie Dillard, both girls are confronted with their sense of conscience and of right and wrong. In the process, both girls experience memorable lessons as a consequence of the decisions they make. In “Calling Home”, thirteen year old Jean realizes that her actions not only affect 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 just as vulnerable and full of tenacity as a child after she and her friend find themselves being chased by a man who is none too amused at being a target of their snowball throwing antics. In both stories, Annie and Jean are smug in their sense of power and control. Both girls exhibit a general lack of respect for authority by justifying their actions and displaying a false sense of entitlement to pursue and attain whatever they wish, as if ordinary rules do not apply to them.

Both girls actions are based on power and acknowledgement amongst their peers: In “Calling Home”, the author explains: “Snoopy was the latest. If you owned anything with the Peanuts on it, you were “in”” (19). When she steals the pin, Jean feels proud that she’s outsmarted everybody and that what she has done has gone undetected. Once confronted, Jean’s false sense of security 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). In “An American Childhood”, Annie is proud of her “boys arm” and of 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 concentration and courage. Nothing girls did could compare with it” (Dillard 22). In contrast to Jean’s dismay, Annie excitedly describes the surprise of being pursued and the anticipation of being reprimanded: “It was an immense discovery, pounding into my hot head with every sliding, joyous step, that this ordinary adult evidently knew what I thought only children knew” (Dillard 23).