Joyce Carol Oates’s short story‚ “Where Are You 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
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It all happened on a warm 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
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Do not knock on the devil’s door‚ for he is bound to answer. Unfortunately this is exactly what happens to Connie‚ the main character in the short-story‚ “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” written by Joyce Carol Oates. In the story‚ fifteen year old Connie is like any other teenage girl. She is vain‚ unkind to her parents‚ and desperate to grow up. Connie makes rebellious decisions such as sneaking across the highway to a drive-in restaurant for older kids‚ experimenting with sex‚ and lying
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knowledge has been used in stories and films alike. In Joyce Carol Oates’ short story‚ "Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?" Oates depicts Arnold Friend as the Devil; we can see this through his physical description‚ strange seduction‚ and his supernatural knowledge of Connie. The bodily features of Arnold Friend suggest he is the devil in disguise. During the whole event‚ Connie recognizes the way Arnold Friend "wobbled in his high boots" (196). She believed that he may have been a drunken stumbling
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Joyce Carol Oates’ story‚ “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” is initially about a teen (Connie) who is going through the beginning phases of teen life‚ playing into the stereotype of an image-conscious teen. She is recalcitrant with her parents‚ sneaks off to start hanging out with boys‚ et cetera. About a third of the way through the story‚ a man that she had seen earlier at the diner shows up to take her out for a drive‚ and the situation goes downhill as she asks him more and more questions
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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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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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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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In Joyce Carol Oates’ "Where Are you Going‚ Where Have You Been"‚ Oates used figurative language to show the evil in Arnold Friend and how he as a Fiend tries to pull Connie into his corrupted world. The harsh reality that Oates includes in her story is that there are fiends that may seem like a friend around us like Arnold. By using figurative language Oates can create a fiend from what Seem to be a Friend. There are many hints that Joyce left to show that Arnold Friend is not a friend at all
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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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