advance our mentality. In Joyce Carol Oates’ "Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been." Connie‚ a young teen is faced with a life changing experience‚ forcing her to transform from a young teen to a young adult. In John Updike’s "A & P" Sammy chooses to put himself in a tight situation only to loose his job‚ trying to be heroic to three young girls and failed‚ as a result of his child-like decision. "Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been" is an exceptional example of a coming-of-age story
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Back The Label “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” is a short story written by Joyce Carol Oates. This popular short story made its debut in 1966. Dependent upon the interpreter‚ this short story may seem to be based upon many different themes‚ although my goal is to focus on analyzing the author’s use of stylistic devices such as a recognizable setting‚ and symbolism that Oates has effectively implemented in this story to convey the most important theme‚ which is maturity and coming of age
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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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Fantasy versus Reality in Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been? Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates has a constant theme of reality and fantasy running parallel for 15 year old Connie. This short story begins with a description of Connie’s vain personality. The narrator describes her as pretty and self-centered (Oates 421). To emphasize her selfishness‚ Connie is contrasted with her sister‚ June‚ who is chubby‚ plain‚ and well-behaved. Connie’s mother always praises
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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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In the short story “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been‚” Joyce Carol Oats uses characterization including methods such as symbolism and allusions to develop her characters‚ and thus establish her theme of the cross roads Connie faces in her transition from the innocence of her adolescence to the impurity of adulthood facilitated by the antagonist‚ Arnold Friend. From the beginning of the story‚ the reader sees Connie has a strong desire to make her early transition into adulthood. Although
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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 going" refers to the question of what direction does one have for his own life. "Where have you been?" is a question which involves reflection
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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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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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