Comparison of Smooth Talk to “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” Joyce Carol Oakes’s short story‚ “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” was written in 1966 and twenty years later was made into a movie entitled Smooth Talk‚ winner of the 1985 U.S. Film Festival for best dramatic picture. The writing by Oates is loosely based on a true story described as “the tale of Charles Schmid‚ a twenty-three-year-old who cruises teenage hangouts‚ picking up girls for rides in his gold convertible”
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Where are you going‚ Where have you been? by Joyce Carol Oates is an interesting piece of literature. Due to the intense nature of the story‚ many criticisms have come up. Many theories have been developed about hidden meanings within the work. One that is very controversial is the allusion to the bible. Many people say that there are clear references to the bible through a hidden code but this is not the case. Oates’s inspiration for the short story came from a magazine article about a series of
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Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been” conveys the theme of good vs. evil through Connie and Arnold by creating a sympathetic character and using symbolism‚ creating a fine line between the protagonist and the antagonist. In this short story‚ the antagonist Arnold Friend is a seducting creep that seduces young‚ innocent girls to “go on a date with him”. While he is at the protagonist‚ Connie’s‚ house‚ he is persuading Connie by telling her all about herself‚ including his
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captured more than just the reader when she wrote the story‚ “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been.” Oates recreates an event that took place in the mid-1960s‚ where a grown man‚ who had shaggy black hair and a boyish charm‚ would lure teenage girls into his car‚ rape and murder them‚ and then bury their bodies in the desert. The fate of the main character in “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been” lies between Oates’s wavering suspense. From the beginning Oates shows the reader that the story is
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The story‚ Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been? By Joyce Carol‚ is a story told in a third person perspective‚ regarding Connie‚ a 15-year-old. She and her mother have not at all gotten along. Her mother consistently compares her with her sister‚ and her father barely ever speaks with his daughters. One night‚ Connie and her best friend go to a shopping plaza. As instantly the adult is out of sight they cross the highway into a drive-in restaurant and stay on the restaurant’s counter. Thereafter
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passing from one grade to another in school. Other changes are more dramatic‚ such as the transition from childhood to adulthood. In Joyce Carol Oates’ "Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?" the author goes into depth of the transition from being a carefree‚ innocent child to the complexity and uncertainty of the future when one becomes an adult. The message begins even before the story itself actually does. The title illustrates the passage of time in life such as the phrase "where are you
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sunny saturday morning in “Where are you going. Where have you been’’ by Joyce Carry Oates. It started with an unfamiliar car bouncing along Connie’s long drive way. When she first heard the car she rushed to the window excitedly‚ frantically fixing her hair. Making sure she looked 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
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looking into the eyes of a person one can see their hidden emotions and attitudes and thoughts” (Schwartz). Also when the author makes a point to mention in detail items that have reflective surfaces they are inferring that there is a deeper meaning behind the reflection. In the short story “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” by Joyce
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Hurst 1 Allison Hurst Professor Ben Mayo English Comp II 30 April 2011 Analysis of “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates In 1966‚ Joyce Carol Oates published her short story “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?”. Oates was inspired to write this story after reading about a serial killer that was referred to as “The Pied Piper of Tucson”. Oates was disturbed by the number of teenagers that this killer was able to persuade to help him and keep his secrets
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Connie in “Where are you going‚ Where have you been”‚ has a lot of underlying mental issues. Joyce Carol Oates created the perfect character to receive psychoanalytic criticism. The relationships Connie forms with her family‚ friends‚ and outsiders are all affected by Connie’s issues which come to consume her future. One of Connie’s biggest faults was the recognition of her beauty. She “knew she was pretty and that was everything” (Oates 1). This constant checking of herself in mirrors to make
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