Joyce Carol‚ the main character Connie‚ and the story “Teenage Wasteland” by Anne Tyler‚ the protagonist Donny‚ both search for independence in their life; however their pursuit for this freedom is stemmed in different ways leading to bad endings for both characters. Connie searches for independence by creating a sexy appearance and enticing boys while Donny becomes rebellious and distant from his parents. In the story‚ “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” Connie who is fifteen years old is
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In Joyce Carol Oates’s short story‚ “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” (1966)‚ Connie is an adolescent that faces literal and psychological challenges. Within the conflicts of the story‚ there are two compelling questions that allow you to take a special interest of a deeper meaning. Taken from the title‚ where has Connie been? Where is Connie going? In a surprising twist‚ the story is not only about a naïve girl that gets lured out of her home by an older gentleman‚ but can also be taken
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Arnold is not a lion preying on gazelle‚ but he is a middle-aged man that becomes predatory and preys on 15-year-old Connie. Scheming and being a predatorial is what make Arnold Friend the villainous man he is. Arnold Friend‚ is a middle-aged man that uses himself as bait to fool and befriend young Connie. His choice of appearance for himself to project as if he is the same age as Connie is‚ “light faded jeans stuffed into black‚ scuffed boots‚ a belt that pulled his waist in and showed how lean he
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Going‚ Where Have You Been?” focuses on the seemingly typical life of a teenage girl‚ Connie. The character irony is found in the fact that a teenage girl in the 1960’s struggled with the same issues teenagers battle with in present society. Connie‚ the main character‚ fights with her parents‚ does not want to be like her older sister‚ and thinks very highly of herself. As a teenage girl typically believes‚ Connie imagines she is the center of attention and everything revolves around her‚ including
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characters. For example‚ music for Connie is a pattern for romantic relationship. When she is happy‚ she hears music in everywhere. On the other hand‚ when she is sad‚ she couldn’t hear the music at this distance. The music in this story provides a lot of component such as the effects of popular cultures‚ the romantic relationships‚ and the psychological manipulation. The look of different characters is a symbol. In the beginning of the story‚ the author describes Connie as that she has a "habit of cranking
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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
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named Connie Goodwin who was not only living her life‚ but was also involved in other lives from the past. In the current time‚ Connie is going to school for her PhD and studying Colonial American history at Harvard. After Connie is done dealing with her research for school she ends up moving forward to start her candidacy for her PhD‚ but then gets a message from her mother‚ Grace‚ wanting her to help clean out her grandmother’s house which is located near the town of Salem. After Connie arrives
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good‚ seemed to be an insecure habit for Connie. She saw an uninvited boyish looking man who was situated in the car parked now in her driveway. There was a tension of unease about the boyish man‚ he acted if he was supposed to be at Connie’s house‚ as if she has told him to come. She should have taken him being there uninvited more seriously‚ by locking the door or even calling the police. Connie was too caught up with herself to realize
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based on‚ would try to look like Elvis Presley to lure girls to him. Music is a motif that shows up in the story multiple times. Joyce Carol Oates uses music to show Connie’s comfort‚ emotion‚ and the bait that lured Connie to Arnold. First of all‚ Oates uses it to show when Connie feels comfortable. For example‚ “... the music was always in the background‚ like music at a church service‚ it was something to depend on.” She is constantly surrounded by it‚ and that makes her feel satisfied. When
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character as important as Connie Sung‚ although the story is about Connie. Her personality is exactly like that most Chinese. However she is not a genuine Chinese‚ she is a Chinese American but she never been to China. As Connie said Lisa is a person inscrutable and mysterious. At the first meet of them‚ Lisa is dressed in “one-of-a- kind kimono dress … and her hair was drawn back tightly in a braid which stood out from close to the top of her head horizontally” (329). Connie realizes that Lisa has
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