"Flight" by Doris Lessing & "Your shoes" by Michele Roberts deals with conditions of growing up, relationship between generations and most importantly issues of daughter leaving home and how leaving house can affect the whole family.
The story "Flight" revolves around the grandfather who doesn't want his only granddaughter, Alice to get married with love of her life, Steven as deep down he is afraid she will leave him and he might have to suffer from loneliness. In "Your Shoes", a depressed mother imagines a pair of shoes to be her missing daughter who ran away from home after an argument with her father and is describing the memories she had with her daughter. Both the stories shares similar theme over daughter leaving home and growing up. The grandfather in the beginning ignores the reality of children leaving away and he thinks selfishly discarding others happiness. This is because he had only seen his other granddaughters leaving home and they are not always there to stay by his side. Therefore, he is severely affected by the decision of his granddaughter to get married. This is most clearly shown when he says. "She's the last one, he mourned. Can't we keep her a bit longer?". Similarly, In "Your Shoes" the mother thinks she knows what is best for her fifteen years old teenager daughter who is getting involved in drugs and sex. She never considered her daughter's feeling when she was present.
The story "Flight" revolves around the grandfather who doesn't want his only granddaughter, Alice to get married with love of her life, Steven as deep down he is afraid she will leave him and he might have to suffer from loneliness. In "Your Shoes", a depressed mother imagines a pair of shoes to be her missing daughter who ran away from home after an argument with her father and is describing the memories she had with her daughter. Both the stories shares similar theme over daughter leaving home and growing up. The grandfather in the beginning ignores the reality of children leaving away and he thinks selfishly discarding others happiness. This is because he had only seen his other granddaughters leaving home and they are not always there to stay by his side. Therefore, he is severely affected by the decision of his granddaughter to get married. This is most clearly shown when he says. "She's the last one, he mourned. Can't we keep her a bit longer?". Similarly, In "Your Shoes" the mother thinks she knows what is best for her fifteen years old teenager daughter who is getting involved in drugs and sex. She never considered her daughter's feeling when she was present.