aren’t real‚ or for a parent to watch as their son or daughter make life changing decisions. Decisions like which colleges to go to‚ or to decide to marry their high school sweet heart. A teenager’s loss of innocence is the focal point of Joyce Carol Oates short story “Where are you going? Where have you been?” featuring the main protagonist‚ Connie. Connie is forced to face the ordeal of becoming an adult at the age of fifteen in a matter of minutes. She spurns her parents in an effort to be
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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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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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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. Oates uses many symbolic devices such as; words/thoughts
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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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Nightmare or Reality? Joyce Carol Oates creates an inquisitive plot 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
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There are circumstances in one’s life that force us to 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
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Joyce Carol Oates 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
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Every person experiences changes in his life. Some of these changes are small such as the 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
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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
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