Young ladies that grew up during the 20th century would be progressive in the role and the power imbalance of genders. Using whatever means, whether to leave the household to peruse an education, take part in a workforce, or even using their sexuality, to gain independence and tip the scale of the power imbalance. Sometimes it works out, while other time it may give a false perception of who really holds the power. These can be compared and contrast between the two short stories, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been," by Joyce Carol Oates and "Only Daughter," by Sandra Cisneros. In "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been," by Joyce Carol Oates focuses on finding independence and the line between reality and fantasy, while "Only Daughter," by Sandra Cisneros deals with breaking social norms and tradition and isolation. Although both stories had some different themes they both shared a few similar themes such as the circumstance of women. …show more content…
This is due to her conflict with her family (especially her mother) and to make herself sexually attractive. Her mother is always asking her why she behaves certain ways, does not approve of the way she dresses and often compares her to her older sister June. It’s ironic that she tries so hard to be independent of adults, so she can have a social life when she depends on her friend’s dad to drive them to the movies. She wears certain outfits and acts differently away from home to make herself seem