In “Calling Home,” by Jean Brandt and “An American Childhood,” by Annie Dillard, both girls are confronted with their sense of conscience and right and wrong. In doing so, both girls experience memorable lessons through the decisions they make. In "Calling Home", thirteen-year-old Jean realizes that her actions affect not only her, but more importantly, those close to her, 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 can be just as vulnerable and tenacious as a child after she and her friend find themselves pursued. by a man who is not either. amused to be the target of their snowball throwing antics. In both stories, Annie and Jean are smug in their sense of power and control. Both girls demonstrate a general lack of respect for authority by justifying their actions and displaying a false sense of entitlement to pursue and achieve what they want, as if ordinary rules do not apply to them. Both girls' actions are based on power and recognition among their peers: In “Calling Home,” the author explains, “Snoopy was the latest. If you owned something with Peanuts on it, you were “in” (19). When she steals the pin, Jean is proud that she outsmarted everyone and that what she did went undetected. When confronted, John'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 "boy arm" and of being the only girl accepted by a group of older boys. She exudes confidence while 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 the girls did could compare to that” (Dillard 22). In contrast to Jean's dismay, Annie enthusiastically describes the surprise of being pursued and the anticipation of being reprimanded: "It was an immense discovery, pounding into my burning head with every slippery, joyous step, that this ordinary adult obviously knew what that I only thought. the children knew” (Dillard 23).