The short story by Joyce Carol Oates "Where are you going‚ Where have you been?" is one that has had many interpretations over there years‚ by many literary critics and readers alike‚ generating a vast list of themes and meanings to the story. Some have declared the story to be a "feminist allegory‚" while others argue that one of the main characters‚ Arnold‚ is a "savior" or "messiah figure‚" as popular figures during the 1960’s were to young girls like Connie‚ the main character. Though many
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“Golden Sixties”. It was not only a time of relative peace and economic growth‚ but also a phase of rebellion in the youth‚ which questioned the way of life and beliefs of their parents. It was a time filled with music‚ miniskirts‚ sexual freedom and drugs. At that time‚ Joyce Carol Oates created her works‚ in which she talked about ordinary everyday affairs‚ giving them a specific dark climate fueled by the second bottom. A short story "Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been" was written in such climate
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Time passes by in seconds‚ minutes‚ and hours. Calendar tears by days months‚ and years‚ but something that will stay with us forever is a good parenting responsibilities that we encounter in every family whether they are rich or poor. Good Parenting is the main moral essence of each and every parent’s life because that same essence will pass on through their children as they become parents. This story is about “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” is perfect example of a middle class typical
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Analysis for “Where are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” Joyce Carol Oates’ short story is a complete fiction in the sense that it utilizes all its elements without deemphasizing one for the other. Oates uses point of view‚ setting‚ conflict‚ character‚ and symbol equally well to convey her theme. Oates applies these elements of fiction to give readers a better understanding of the American teenager and to show how a girl is psychologically manipulated by predators. It is evident from the first
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Finding Her Identity: An Analysis of “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been? Joyce Carol Oates‚ “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been is about a fifteen year old girl named Connie who is searching for her independence from her mother. The exposition is in the month of July at their home‚ where Connie is being scolded by her mother about her being obsessed with her looks. Her mother says‚ “Stop gawking at yourself. Who are you? You think you’re so pretty? (171) Her mother wants her to be more
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Piper of Tucson‚" was an American serial killer. In the story‚ Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates‚ the character Arnold Friend was based on the serial killer in which Connie was one of the many victims he had abducted. There are many possibilities on how the author intends the readers to understand it. Such as‚ it could be a dream that Connie is having‚ in all actuality it could be real; it could send a message to young women‚ or it becomes a nightmare when he
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Wrong Impressions The short story‚ “Where Are You going‚ Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates explains how a young girl was struggling to find herself. Oates writes about a girl named Connie who was 16 years old and was lost in a world of fantasy. Connie had a split personality/image while at home and when she was out with her friends. Living in a world of fantasy‚ Connie would ignore her family by tuning them out and being distant. Connie would constantly be in front of the mirror admiring
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humans accept fate‚ that all living must die? Sometimes its is hard to understand as shown in the poems‚ Janet waking by John Crowe Ranson‚ Because I could not stop for death by Emily Dickenson‚ and Barbie doll by Marge Pierce. Death can be seen differently by everyone and these authors definitely had different views. In the poem “Because I could not stop for death” the author has personified death‚ as if to make it easier for the reader. If we can imagine something similar the the human population
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From beyond the grave‚ the narrator of Emily Dickinson’s "Because I Could not Stop for Death‚" also once published under the title "The Chariot"‚ describes the peaceful process of her death which is personified as a gentleman who escorts her in his carriage. In this striking poem‚ Dickinson employs various poetic devices to reveal the narrator’s calm acceptance of death. In fact‚ it seems to be presented as no more frightening than being taken on a date with a suitor. All other literary techniques
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a hero. Heroism comes in many ways through attitudes and acts of oneself. I believe heroism is the intent of doing something for the benefit of others‚ and not caring about the consequences that might ensue. In Joyce Carol Oates’s "Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been‚" we see the character of Connie in a process of making the hardest decisions of her life as she chooses the heroic path. By having the knowledge of her own fate and life atrisk of her family being hurt‚ she decided to go with the
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