Joyce Carol Oates is known for writing demented stories about adolescent girls craving attention from the opposite sex and trying and failing to find their path in life. Her most popular story with that such plot is “Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?” In this story, a fifteen-year-old girl named Connie who, like every teenage girl, loves spending weekend nights in town and attention from the opposite sex. However, her innocence and vulnerability eventually lead her into the trap of a rapist and murderer named Arnold Friend. While most dark stories rely mainly on setting and circumstance to entice and shock its readers, Joyce Carol Oates relied on symbolism to give this story its eerie tone. The three main symbols in “Where Are You
…show more content…
This story was dedicated to one of the most legendary musicians—Bob Dylan. Arnold Friend was described to have “shaggy black hair that looked crazy like a wig, and a long, hawk-like nose” (Oates…). When Arnold Friend and his friend Ellie Oscar appeared at Connie’s house, the song that played on Ellie’s radio was performed by an artist known as Bobby King. According to Tierce and Crafton, Bobby King is a reference to Bob Dylan. Dylan’s song “Mr. Tambourine Man” could have been the song playing on the radio at the time of Connie and Arnold’s encounter due to its theme. The song is about being taken away to a fantasy world just by hearing a song. The lyrics describe the place that Arnold depicted as he and Connie’s getaway. Arnold is Connie’s ‘Tambourine Man.’ Arnold claims that he will play that song for Connie. The line “Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin’ ship,” could also be a reference to the phrase “Man the Flying saucers” on Arnold Friend’s car (Tierce and Crafton 224). Arnold’s car is the ship and Connie is the passenger. “Like A Rolling Stone” could have also been the song on the radio because it describes the situation that Connie is in when Arnold tempts her. “Go to him now, he calls you, you can’t refuse” describes how Connie was pressured into giving in to Arnold’s demands (Tierce and Crafton 224). The line “You used to be so amused” could have described Connie’s growth at the end of the story (Tierce and Crafton 224). She thought she was bulletproof until that fateful moment that Arnold had threatened to harm her and enter her house. As Stephen Slimp stated in his article “Oates’s Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?” she “grew spiritually as a
This story was dedicated to one of the most legendary musicians—Bob Dylan. Arnold Friend was described to have “shaggy black hair that looked crazy like a wig, and a long, hawk-like nose” (Oates…). When Arnold Friend and his friend Ellie Oscar appeared at Connie’s house, the song that played on Ellie’s radio was performed by an artist known as Bobby King. According to Tierce and Crafton, Bobby King is a reference to Bob Dylan. Dylan’s song “Mr. Tambourine Man” could have been the song playing on the radio at the time of Connie and Arnold’s encounter due to its theme. The song is about being taken away to a fantasy world just by hearing a song. The lyrics describe the place that Arnold depicted as he and Connie’s getaway. Arnold is Connie’s ‘Tambourine Man.’ Arnold claims that he will play that song for Connie. The line “Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin’ ship,” could also be a reference to the phrase “Man the Flying saucers” on Arnold Friend’s car (Tierce and Crafton 224). Arnold’s car is the ship and Connie is the passenger. “Like A Rolling Stone” could have also been the song on the radio because it describes the situation that Connie is in when Arnold tempts her. “Go to him now, he calls you, you can’t refuse” describes how Connie was pressured into giving in to Arnold’s demands (Tierce and Crafton 224). The line “You used to be so amused” could have described Connie’s growth at the end of the story (Tierce and Crafton 224). She thought she was bulletproof until that fateful moment that Arnold had threatened to harm her and enter her house. As Stephen Slimp stated in his article “Oates’s Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?” she “grew spiritually as a