The short stories, "There was Once" and "Where are You Going, Where have You Been" both portray the negative treatment of women in two contrasting tones. There are many similarities and differences between "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" by Joyce Oates and "There Was Once" by Margaret Atwood. Both stories discuss a negative treatment of women. Within "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" a physical mistreatment is shown, whereas in "There Was Once" the negative treatment is mental. However the tone "There Was Once" is more of a humorous, yet subtle style, contrasting the intense, dramatic style that Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" is written in. 

 "Where Are Young Going, Where Have You Been" describes the mistreatment of a young girl named Connie, through an abusive and overpowering style. In this story, Connie is left alone and a man comes to the house and approaches the young girl, asking for her to come with him. "Seen you that night and thought, that's the one, yes sir. I never needed to look anymore" (Oates 343). Her stalker is described with a disturbing tone, as it is revealed that he has been stalking her and watching her every move. It is times like this that the reader can look beyond the text and realize that this "made up" story actually goes on outside in the real world.  Whereas, in "There Was Once" the abuse that is discussed is mental. In the quote, "But she was poor! Poor is relative. She lived in a house didn't she? Yes. Then socioeconomically she was not poor" (Atwood 305). This reveals the stereotypes of a woman back in the 1960's when this short story was written. Both of these texts contain the mistreatment of a young lady in the mid 1900's: a prime example for the reader to understand the treatment and respect that a woman would expect during this time in history. 

During the 1960's, women in the United States were starting to turn a corner in history. Women were beginning to become employed, and were getting out of the house to do things that they wanted to, instead of what there husband wanted. They were escaping the housewife stereotype. Women were finally granted rights, beyond the law, and women were feeling empowered. However, similar to what is portrayed in the two short stories, physical and mental abuse of women was still a problem at the time. There was a certain stereotype that women felt like they needed to live up to in order to feel accepted in society. If one was beautiful and attractive they were considered good, but if one was unattractive and unappealing in their own eyes they were considered bad. This is a belief that has been out in society for many years. If someone is not "living up too" this model of belief then they can be led to serious things such as eating disorders. The pressures of having to be someone they were not, was a driving force in mental illnesses. 

These stereotypes are still out there, floating around society, making girls compare themselves to models in magazines and skinny girls they see walking around. All of these together are driving factors in cases of eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia. Even today there are growing cases of young females trying to obtain the "beautiful" stereotype by putting their bodies through these terrible things. "Anorexia is the most common cause of death, up to 12 times higher than any other condition, among young women ages 15 to 24" (Futures Palm Beach). This statistic from online not only shows the disturbingly high number of women who this affects, but the amount of lives that it takes. This is something that our society has forced on woman who do not "live up to" the perfect model. On the contrary, domestic violence is a very big problem in our society as well. "1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime" (SafeHorizon).  In "Where Have You Been, Where Are You Going" this violence is shown through a man stalking young Connie and forcing his way into her house. When Connie encounters the man she often explains a feeling of dizziness that comes over her body. This feeling of dizziness can be looked at in a broader spectrum in relation to women and how they can defend themselves. In the story Connie's fallback is the Dizziness, this reaction allows Arnold to gain an even stronger hold on her. The opinions and stereotypes floating around young females in our present society are serious; these viewpoints can negatively alter not only current health, but also the individual's life. 

In "There Was Once", issues of gender norms are exposed through the author speaking of the stereotype that too many young women try to achieve at this time. Girls that feel like they are not achieving these, or do not live up to what they believe society wants may put themselves in life threatening situations, such as eating disorders, to reach these stereotypes. During the 1950's, women were expected to stay at home, look after the house, cook and clean. There sole purpose was to serve their husband and do what needed to be done in order to make him happy. These pressures eventually built up and caused stress within the household. This stress also led to domestic violence, where most of the time it was the woman who was getting abused. The message in this short story compares the importance of physical appearance and portraying body stereotypes within children stories. Having our young generation read these short stories tricks them at a young age following to follow this stereotype, which they are expected to abide by. The young ladies, who are reading these fairy tales, are given this perception that "beautiful" has a distinct definition and that "unattractive" people exist. Reading this short story, you can truly understand and think about all of the stereotype that are out there that young woman try to live up to and achieve. 

Both short stories discuss the abuse of young girls; one side of the spectrum is physical, and the other side mental. This abuse over women has been going on throughout history, whether it is having to be submissive to men, or trying to live up to the "perfect" stereotype. Regardless, it is a problem that is slowly progressing. Sixty years ago, a woman was expected to know her place in the house and do as her husband ordered, but now, woman have the capabilities to do what they want and take orders from no one but themselves. Is this the cause for the slow, constant rise of domestic violence? We will never know, but we do know that "Women are more likely to be assaulted by an intimate partner than men" (SafeHorizon). Women in today's society deal with stresses unlike how they did in the past. Women now have equal rights and are capable of anything men are. In the past, stress often is often up, leading to things such as eating disorders for women who feel like they are not living up to others. Domestic violence and eating disorders are looked down upon in society, and still to this day, lead to stress put on women. 

Although both short stories have similarities and differences, they deal with the issues that women face in society today. With the amount of different stereotypes filling the minds of the young females in our world many different problems are arising. Issues such as eating disorders and domestic violence only add to the stress women must face on a daily basis. They go through life having to live up to certain expectations set by both society and even men, rather than living a life that makes them happy.  "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" by Joyce Oates and "There Was Once" by Margaret Atwood both reveal the hardships women must endure in life.
