The Relationship Between Insecurity and Temptation One of the most vital expressions in the story of Christianity is that one should try their best to stray away from temptation, as it will take a person on the path of evil. In the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” it is obvious that the main character, Connie, has many problems. This leads her to undergo many forms of personal judgement, such as trying to reassure herself that she looks perfect every minute of every day. This obsession suggests that Connie suffers from insecurity, making her very vulnerable to manipulation from others. Joyce Carol Oats utilizes enticing diction to convey how temptation leads Connie to the death of her own self-worth, causing the reader
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“‘Who are you? You think you’re so pretty?’ her mom would say” (Oats 1). These questions Connie’s mother would ask her exemplifies just how much Connie is captivated by her own looks, due to the fact that she does it so much to the point where her own mother has to ask “Who are you?” to her own daughter. When a person is confident about him or herself, whether it be their physical looks or their personality, they don’t have to point out those aspects of themselves all the time because they truly know who they are. However, in Connie’s case, the reader feels as if she does not believe she is the way she says she is. Therefore, when Connie meets Arnold Friend, a peculiar man who seems like he has an interest in her, she already feels subjected to what he tells her such as when Friend tells Connie “Gonna Get You Baby” (Oats 2). Although Connie expresses herself in a way in which she does not care what he says, the reader knows that she already feels manipulated by him because “she couldn’t help glancing back” at him. She he had an appeal that she could not deny. In just two pages of a thirteen-page story, Oats has already built the foundation that Connie will fall into the hole in which her insecurity will dig up for …show more content…
Arnold then tells Connie that she’s “[his] date” and “lover.” Connie “put her hands up against her ears as if she heard something terrible, something not meant for her” (Oats 9). This is the place where Connie finally realizes that even if she wants to feel beautiful and catch the attention of others, in the end, she will not be ready to commit herself to another person unless she has committed to herself. Yet, she has already fallen into temptation, leading Connie to follow Arnold Friend’s manipulative words. Soon enough, Connie had been cast under Friend, inconsiderate of her inner thoughts as Arnold Friend orders Connie around like a dog. One can see how manipulative Friend is towards Connie, and how she has poured all of her actions for Arnold to control when Arnold commands Connie to “Put the phone back” and she immediately obeys. “She was hollow with what had been fear but what was now just an emptiness” (Oats 12). This quote conveys how even Connie, describes herself as being hollow after she has been filling herself up with “confidence” in her mirror. She no longer has self-control because of the mixture of her low self-esteem and Friend’s manipulation. That is why, in the end of story, Connie leaves with Arnold Friend without even
“‘Who are you? You think you’re so pretty?’ her mom would say” (Oats 1). These questions Connie’s mother would ask her exemplifies just how much Connie is captivated by her own looks, due to the fact that she does it so much to the point where her own mother has to ask “Who are you?” to her own daughter. When a person is confident about him or herself, whether it be their physical looks or their personality, they don’t have to point out those aspects of themselves all the time because they truly know who they are. However, in Connie’s case, the reader feels as if she does not believe she is the way she says she is. Therefore, when Connie meets Arnold Friend, a peculiar man who seems like he has an interest in her, she already feels subjected to what he tells her such as when Friend tells Connie “Gonna Get You Baby” (Oats 2). Although Connie expresses herself in a way in which she does not care what he says, the reader knows that she already feels manipulated by him because “she couldn’t help glancing back” at him. She he had an appeal that she could not deny. In just two pages of a thirteen-page story, Oats has already built the foundation that Connie will fall into the hole in which her insecurity will dig up for …show more content…
Arnold then tells Connie that she’s “[his] date” and “lover.” Connie “put her hands up against her ears as if she heard something terrible, something not meant for her” (Oats 9). This is the place where Connie finally realizes that even if she wants to feel beautiful and catch the attention of others, in the end, she will not be ready to commit herself to another person unless she has committed to herself. Yet, she has already fallen into temptation, leading Connie to follow Arnold Friend’s manipulative words. Soon enough, Connie had been cast under Friend, inconsiderate of her inner thoughts as Arnold Friend orders Connie around like a dog. One can see how manipulative Friend is towards Connie, and how she has poured all of her actions for Arnold to control when Arnold commands Connie to “Put the phone back” and she immediately obeys. “She was hollow with what had been fear but what was now just an emptiness” (Oats 12). This quote conveys how even Connie, describes herself as being hollow after she has been filling herself up with “confidence” in her mirror. She no longer has self-control because of the mixture of her low self-esteem and Friend’s manipulation. That is why, in the end of story, Connie leaves with Arnold Friend without even