Frank Smyser Woods‚ 10:15 6/14/14 Literary Analysis “Life After High School” The short story‚ “Life After High School” by Joyce Carol Oates‚ is set in the small town of South Lebanon‚ New York in 1959. The first three quarters of the story is the tragic tale of one-sided love where Zachary Graff‚ the intelligent but socially awkward teenager falls in love with Sunny Burhman‚ the attractive and popular girl that everyone adores. She rejects his proposal and he can’t take it and decides to
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In the short story Where Are you Going Where Have You been‚the main character Connie is very promiscuous and struggles with finding herself. Joyce Carol Oates takes the reader on a journey of teen rebellion turned tragic and uses Connie to show that becoming independent is not easy. Throughout the story you can interpret that Connie felt vulnerable and neglected by her family and friends. Her mother always talked about how she should be more like her older sister‚ Jane “she was so plain and chunky
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In Joyce Carol Oates’ “‘Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?’ and Smooth Talk: Short Story into Film‚” Oates writes that Connie “An innocent young girl is seduced by way of her own vanity” and that “she confuses death for erotic romance” (419). Oates clearly defines her point when Connie first discovers Arnold Friend at the drive in diner. She catches Friend staring at her with a big smile and Connie “slit her eyes at him and turned away‚ but she couldn’t help looking back” (409). The fact
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Southern literature paper In the short story “Where are you going and Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates one of the main things that readers find is the suspicion surrounding the character Arnold Friend. Supporting this is Friend’s words which are so impactful on Connie‚ and why she didn’t just pick up the phone and call nine-one-one to end the whole conflict in the first place. Much of the research I found was based off this question pointing out how a person would react to this scenario
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Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been? “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?”‚ is one of Joyce Carol Oates best short stories. Oates shows the reader what it is like to take things for granted and make mistakes through the main character‚ Connie. Throughout this story‚ Connie finds her identity and grows as a woman. In “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?”‚ Joyce Carol Oates shows us the struggle of a young woman dealing with her family‚ sexuality‚ and common mistakes that can be made
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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 sure she was still
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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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Essay #1 2. Characterize Connie in “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” and make a case for why she gives in and goes with Arnold Friend. The short story “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” written by Joyce Carol Oates was quite interesting. Even though it was fiction‚ I believe that it could be based on a true story. There are times that young girls get themselves into situations that they feel they cannot escape. This story is a perfect example of why teenage girls
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Diana Barahona Cortese ENG 102 B09 18 February 2012 Essay 1 The not so Friendly‚ Arnold Friend In Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?‚” Oates uses imagery to show the antagonist‚ Arnold Friend‚ as frightening and portrays many qualities of the devil. From the beginning Connie is shown as selfish and promiscuous and what easier target for the devil than a sinful teenager that’s only living for fun. Throughout the story‚ Arnold Friend has a Rock & Roll vibe that
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arise from the car. Any aware person would lock the door and have the phone ready to call the police but not this girl. This girl is easily lured into a trap and taken away from everything she loved. This girl is the protagonist‚ Connie‚ from Joyce Carol Oates short story “Where are you going‚ Where have you been.” Rather than heed the gut feeling most readers have at this moment in the story‚ Connie ignorantly emerges from her house and engages the stranger‚ Arnold Friend. As soon as she leaves the
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