Death and the Maiden and Punishment are literatures that talk about women who suffered during their lives, but in the end, they make choices that made them happy. Both of these literatures explain the power that women can bring through control. Paulina and Chandara come from two different countries and backgrounds, but are very similar when it comes to achieving a goal in their lives that they need to achieve. Chandara and Paulina are two women who seem weak at the beginning of the story and play, but as they set a goal for themselves, they become strong and wise in the decisions they make. A major theme that occurs in Death in the Maiden and Punishment is control. Control is defined as domination or command over something or someone. In Death and the Maiden and in Punishment, Paulina and Chandara take control of their lives and decide how to live it without anyone telling them how to live their lives. Chandara comes to realization when she discovers that her husband doesn't really care about her and begins to make her own choices and have respect for herself. Furthermore, Paulina knows that she wants Roberto to tell the truth about the fact that he raped her. With Roberto saying he raped her, she will feel free and safer after knowing she heard what she wanted to hear. Additionally, one of the main things that affects women in Death and the Maiden and in Punishment is how their country runs the government. . Death and the Maiden takes place in Chile; in Chile the government was led by a military dictatorship, but years later it became a democratic state (Gascoigne). Even though Chile became a democratic state, women did not have the power or control to do as they pleased. For example, in Death and the Maiden, Gerardo told Paulina to take Roberto to the middle of the paper to control what she wanted in life as well as Chandara. These two women also have similar cultures. For example, Chandara served as a traditional wife, she cooked and looked after the children. Paulina was also a traditional wife, they had no children, but she always cooked for Gerardo and cooked for him when he came home. In conclusion, control is seen as a factor of power in Death in the Maiden and Punishment. Paulina and Chandara are considered inspirations to many women because many of them may be in the same situation as them and don't know what to do, but Chandara and Paulina were able to do the things in their own way and had control over their lives. Paulina and Chandara were strangers in their country when it came to justice and laws, but that didn't stop them from believing what was right and getting justice from the actions of others..