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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In the short story “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates there is bad parenting and it costs Connie at the end. Throughout the entire story there is little or no parenting‚ or sometimes there is a little parenting but it is not very good parenting. For example‚ “their father was away at work most of the time and when he came home‚ he wanted supper and he read the newspaper at supper and after supper he went to bed. He didn’t bother talking much to them” (Oates 1). So even
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The short story by Joyce Carol Oates "Where are you going‚ Where have you been?" is one that has had many interpretations over there years‚ by many literary critics and readers alike‚ generating a vast list of themes and meanings to the story. Some have declared the story to be a "feminist allegory‚" while others argue that one of the main characters‚ Arnold‚ is a "savior" or "messiah figure‚" as popular figures during the 1960’s were to young girls like Connie‚ the main character. Though many
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Maria Bustos Instructor: Ms. Cowart English 102 February‚ 4‚ 2015 Short Story Essay #1 “Where are you going‚ Where have you been” The short story about Connie deals with the experience of a young girl that is haunted by her good looks and cryptic behaviors. Inspired by a Life article of a serial killer‚ Oates created the story to: “It was not the number of murders that intrigued me‚ but the disturbing fact that a number of teenagers –from “good” families—aided and abetted his crimes” (Oates
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Story: Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been Author: Joyce Carol Oates First Reaction: My reaction to the story was disbelief‚ it was hard for me to fathom anyone much less an entire village agreeing to such barbaric practices and creating and following a tradition where you stone and hurt or kill family and friends. Characterization The story is told in third person most of the time‚ it seems to be a village member who narrates the story‚ they are familiar with the village and the people
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People have been listening to poetry‚ narratives‚ persuasive essays‚ and other genres of literature for generations. Therefore‚ it is reasonable to say that people in our society are exposed to literature daily and are probably enjoying every minute of it in one form or another. Listening to music is most likely one of the most common of these forms. One may argue that some genres of music are too sordid to be examined in such a manner as works from literary legends such as William Shakespeare or
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realization of the real world compared to the one they had in mind. It’s like a line that separates the reality from the world teenagers live in until the moment they experience that transition which then introduces them to the adult real world. In Joyce Carol Oates’ novel “Where are you going‚ Where have you been?” the main character is one example of a teenage girl who faces dramatic changes in her life as she awakes from her dream world. Connie is a teenage girl of age fifteen. As
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In Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” many critics argue whether the character of Arnold Friend‚ clearly the story’s antagonist‚ represents biblical Satan himself or a psychopathic stalker. Indeed‚ Arnold Friend could be an allegorical devil figure‚ the protagonist who lures Connie into riding off with him in his car‚ or‚ in the contrary‚ far more a grotesque portrait of a psychopathic killer masquerading as a teenager. However‚ he has all the traditional‚ sinister traits
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hide the wickedness of mankind‚ while the world of fiction chooses to highlight it. In the stories “The Overcoat” by Nikolai Gogol‚ “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez‚ and “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates‚ especially highlight the time the horrible aspects of man. Each one highlighting the corruption of man in their own unique way. The social hierarchy is a key part to the wickedness of mankind. This is a major part of the “The Overcoat”
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Bernard Malamud’s The Natural follows Roy Hobbs’ baseball career. Roy’s talents give him great success in the game‚ but they are consistently overshadowed by his failures. He tries hard‚ but still cannot accomplish many of his goals. Famed author Joyce Carol Oates says that art should arouse emotions and expand sympathies. The novel makes the reader remember their past‚ and the times when they too were unable to succeed. The reader constantly empathizes with Roy‚ since failure is a part of life‚
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