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Examples Of Irony In Where Are You Going Where Have You Been

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Examples Of Irony In Where Are You Going Where Have You Been
In the short story “Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, Connie’s house illustrates irony because of the changes that occur in Connie’s behavior towards her mom throughout the story. At the beginning of the story, Connie epitomizes a normal teenager’s feeling towards her parents, especially feelings towards her mother when at home. “Connie’s mother kept picking at her until Connie wished her mother was dead and she herself was dead and it was all over,” (492). With her mother constantly begrading her, Connie didn’t enjoy a happy home life. To escape the barrage of negative comments from her mother, Connie would spend hours with her best girlfriend out in town. “Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home,” (493). Since Connie acted differently at home than she did out of her home, Connie’s behavior demonstrates irony because she appears to be …show more content…
With an unfortunate demise awaiting her no matter what, Connie realizes that she’s “not going to see her mother again,” (505). Connie went from despising her mother to weeping over not seeing her again. This change in feeling occurred because the meaning of her house changed for Connie. It went from being a place of poor relations with her mom to the only place for anything with her mom. After such a finite wish for her mom to be dead and all the contempt and vexation that spawned from their relationship, it is ironic that of all people for Connie to be thinking of in her final moments at home that it would be her mom. Connie’s house highlights her behaviors and how they change over the course of the story. If Arnold hadn’t come to her home, the irony of Connie’s change in behavior towards her mom wouldn’t have been emphasized. This irony is important because it reveals the roundness of Connie’s
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