What will happen to you? Every person comes face to face at some point in life with vital decisions. Some of the decisions are minor ones‚ while others can bring turning points in life. In Joyce Carol Oates’ "Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?" she displays a particular instant in the main character’s life. This character‚ Connie was caught in the difficult transition from her youth and innocence to a doubtful future. Throughout the story Connie alternates between two very different sides
Premium
Joyce Carol Oates’ short story “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” is the haunting saga of a fifteen year old girl’s moral struggles that has resonated with readers since the story’s initial publication. Arnold Friend is a mystery of a character; his origins and nature have been debated time and time again. The real answer is that there is no real answer‚ and Arnold Friend is a character with a nature entirely up to the individual interpretation of any one reader. It can certainly be agreed
Premium Joyce Carol Oates Short story English-language films
The protagonist of Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” is a vain and stubborn girl named Connie. Fifteen years old‚ she believes beauty is everything and is nothing short of rebellious‚ maintaining two different personas: one for at home with her family and one for going out with her friends. One night out with her girl friends‚ Connie spots a young man watching her. He promises to come get her. The next day‚ the man comes to Connie’s house‚ keeping his word‚ and spends
Premium Family Joyce Carol Oates Mother
on careers‚ friends‚ school and family. "How do I know I made the right decision?" "What career do I wish to pursue?" "Why is this change so difficult?" Some‚ at times‚ even wish that they had an influence or guide to help them. For many‚ this is where the parents step in. Parents are meant to support and help an adolescent when needed‚ especially during this difficult transition. However‚ this is not always the case. Some parents allow the adolescent to make the move alone and endure the hard times
Premium Adolescence Parent Father
that causes the reader to question events in the story‚ “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” She develops this story featuring a girl named Connie‚ who has an encounter with a boy at a restaurant that she doesn’t know. “He wagged a finger and laughed and said‚ “Gonna get you‚ baby‚” and Connie turned away…” (Oates 210). Startled Connie only saw this boy once that night‚ but the story goes on‚ and a few days later he comes to her house where she learns that the boy’s name is “Arnold Friend.” She
Premium
The story‚ "Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been" by Joyce Carol Oates is truly littered with conventions of Psychoanalysis. Freud developed a list of defense mechanisms used by the human subconscious in order to deal with issues too intense for the conscious mind. These strategies of the psyche are translated into symbols scattered throughout this work. These symbols are expressed through the characters of Connie‚ and Arnold Friend. The first convention is denial. Denial is when the subconscious
Premium Defence mechanism Joyce Carol Oates Sigmund Freud
In Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been‚” Arnold Friend‚ a conniving antagonist‚ charms a naive teenager named Connie into believing he will rescue her from her inattentive family. However‚ at the story’s climax‚ Connie fears for her life yet cannot resist Arnold’s temptations. Although details of Friend’s appearance‚ speech‚ and actions should warn Connie of his evil intentions‚ through Oates’s portrayal of Friend as a devil-figure‚ Connie is easily “conned” foreshadowing
Premium Joyce Carol Oates English-language films Fiction
Teenagers have always had it harder than the rest of the age groups. Whether it is the frustration of having old-fashioned parents or the annoyance of being too young to experience nearly everything‚ the minds of those under eighteen become a never-ending fantasy of being an adult. The seemingly carefree lifestyle of older kids seems to be impossible to wait on. 15-year-old Connie is no exception to this way of thinking. In a hurry to grow up‚ Connie‚ in Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going‚ Where
Premium
Where Are You Going‚ Connie? For the most part of Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where are you going‚ Where have you been?”‚ Connie has been portrayed as a rebel of an adolescent. She hates staying home; she belittles her sister‚ criticizes her mother and is obsessed with the idea of romance and sex. Her attractive appearance as a physical advantage lends haughtiness to her rebellion. With a sister that is plain and a mother who has had her time of beauty‚ Connie thinks the world is hers for the taking.
Premium Joyce Carol Oates Morality
In the short story Where are you going‚ where have you been?‚ the author Joyce Carol Oates describes the life of a girl named Connie. The lack of love and security at home gives Connie the want to find a source to fill those missing feelings. She enjoys being around music‚ her friends‚ and other older boys. These interests are projected into her dream world. Oates shows these moments as the story progresses while Connie’s emotions and the physical state of reality become uncommon to her‚ even in
Premium Family Marriage Love