Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been by Joyce Carol Oates - Essay Example

Literary Analysis Essay “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” by Joyce Carol Oates Part Joyce Oates does a wonderful job in her short story “where are you going, where have you been”. The title of the story is questionable and leaves many readers with open question as whether Connie left with the two strangers. Connie the main character is a teenage girl who is expressed as undergoing adolescent challenges. The father is exposed as an I don’t care character that is ignorant of her daughter’s characters and behavior. Connie’s best friend father is also expressed in a similar way by the author by the fact that he drives the girls to go and have fun but fails to question what happened while out there. Connie’s mother is exposed as a caring mother. She keeps questioning her daughter’s behavior. She is a strict mother. At one point Connie wished that, her mother could die in order for her to attain freedom. The author creates tension in the last past of the story. Arnold Friend one the stranger knows everything about Connie and their family. It is astonishing that the two strangers Ellie and Arnold Friend knows where the rest of the family has gone, what clothes they wore and how long they are likely to wear. Arnold also knows the shape of Connie’s aunt who invites their family for a barbecue treat at her place. Arnold describes the aunt as a fat woman. The story is not satisfactory since it leaves many readers in suspense especially after creating tension and pressure at the end. I find the passage when Connie is confronted by Arnold and telling her that the old woman who has chicken is dead. When Collie runs to call the police through the phone, she finds a roaring sound on the phone. She screams on the phone and starts imaging that she will never see, her family again neither will she sleep on her bed again. This phrase is the climax creating tension and fear including leaving readers with suspense. Part 2 The major character in this story is Connie. This story will make no sense without Connie. She is a teenage girl that Oates describes as having two sides of her life. Oates says that Connie laughs in two different ways at home and while away from home. At home, she laughs “Hahaha very funny” while away from home she laughs with a high pitched tonal voice. Compared to her Sister June, Connie is beautiful and she is well aware of it. She spends most of the time doing make ups something that her mother really detests. Her walks are also two sided. At home, she walks in a childlike bobbing way while away from home she walks in a languid fashion that captures people attention by thinking that she is hearing music in her head. Her mouth is pale and smirking while at home. While away, her mouth is bright and pink. Connie is outgoing and social. She goes for movies and shopping most of the times. It was one of her outings that she met the two strangers who came back to haunt her. Connie’s character changes during the end of the story. She manages to keep of the strangers by telling them she has things to do. She even retrieve all her memory concerning the two strangers but it is disappointing that she still makes out with them. Connie was able to realize that the two strangers were indeed not good people. The reason is that they did put on their sunglasses all the time. Their faces looked older and their voices too. Arnold scared her many times during their discussion and lost balance several times due to the types of shoes he wore. Connie noticed all the strange things about them but still failed to keep away the strangers. I sympathize with Connie because she believed on strangers who seemingly knew everything about her family. Couldn’t’ she question that? I dislike Connie’s rebellious character. Had she been obedient she would be with the rest of the family enjoying barbecues. Her rebellious character brought trouble to her family. The two strangers took advantage of the situation when she was left home alone. Part 3 The writers name is Joyce Oates. The writer has been able to bring out two distinct characters between the two sisters Connie and June. In my opinion, she has exaggerated Connie’s character in order to appeal to e readers o twist the story to a certain direction. June is described as an obedient girl who is working in a school, which her sister attends. She is hardworking obedient and follows her mom’s wishes. The author’s exaggeration and creation of Connie’s rebellious attitude makes the story more interesting as her character untwists in the story. The author emphasizes Connie’s character. The narrator also emphasizes Connie’s enthusiasm by expressing how Connie and her girlfriends felt when they entered the restaurant. Their reaction to loud music is exaggerated. In a more interesting way, the author describes Connie reaction when she first met Arnold Friend at the restaurant. “Connie could not help but let her eyes wander over the windshields and faces all around her, her face gleaming with joy that had nothing to do with Eddie or the place” (Oates). The narrator continues by expressing Connie’s philanthropic behavior when she, “threw up her shoulders up and sucked in her breath with pure pressure of being alive” (Oates). Connie tells her friends that her mother makes her feel like she wants to throw. In addition to this, she tells here fiends that she wishes her mother could be dead. Connie on the other had is described as a girl having two sides of her life. Her walks are also two sided. At home, she walks in a childlike bobbing way while away from home she walks in a languid fashion that captures people attention making people think that she is hearing music in her head. Her mouth is pale and smirking while at home. While away, her mouth is bright and pink. The writer used symbols to describe Arnold Friend. She uses his shaggy black hair and his convertible Jalopy gold painted vehicle to clarify some aspects of the story. The author also uses the name Arnold Friend to represent the character as a strange character. This name is also used symbolically and ironically in the story. Works Cited Oates, J.C. & Showalter, E. Introduction". Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been. New York: Rutgers University Press, 1994. Read More