Society’s fascination with stories and the often-unrealistic notion of ‘happily ever after’ instills an idealistic expectation for life and love. In her 1966 short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” Joyce Carol Oates crafts a powerful commentary on the psychologically tenuous sliver of time between youth and the harsh reality of adulthood when the dangers of the real world are met with the storybook mindset of a child. The emphasis of our childhood fairy tales is on the predestined conquering of conflict, on the princess meets prince charming, on true love and perfection. Evil is overcome and love prevails. Because these are often the stories we are exposed to from a very early age, they are also the stories that give us our
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This coming-of-age story illustrates the moment when Connie’s life is thrust into the trials of adulthood. Having immersed herself into a world requiring maturity she lacks, Connie’s decision-making is clouded with storybook delusions and naiveté. She only becomes cognizant of the irreversibility and magnitude of those choices once it is too late. Arnold Friend represents the dark and irreversible consequences that come with making adult choices, and the evil that is waiting in the wings as the curtain closes on our childhood. In the article “In Fairyland Without a Map,” Gretchen Schulz and R.J.R. Rockwood argue that had Connie “been nurtured on fairy tales instead of popular songs and movies she would not feel at such a loss,” and “would have some sense of how to survive” as she faces evil. (Schulz and Rockwood 529) While there is some truth to this argument, I maintain that Schulz and Rockwood overlook the important truth that storybooks, much like mainstream pop culture, offer glorified standards of romance and the idea that love and innocence will redeem them from danger. Joyce Carol Oates allegorically exemplifies this rise and fall of idealistic adolescent expectation through her portrayal of Connie - who yearns for her prince - and of Arnold Friend, who projects just enough charm to conceal the evil fabric of …show more content…
Symbolism is apparent within the setting as the two locale’s morph into a representation of childhood versus adulthood; where she is going, and where she has been. As the story progresses, Connie becomes less and less capable of bridging the “chasm between ‘home’ and ‘anywhere but home.’” (Schulz and Rockwood 527) Connie’s delusions of grandeur interfere with her perception of reality. As she wakes from sunbathing, Connie is shocked at the plainness of her surroundings. Oates denotes, “The asbestos ranch house that was now three years old startled her—it looked small. She shook her head as if to get awake.” (2) Connie viscerally believes she is a princess living among paupers and hopes that waking to this simplistic home she has woken to is only a dream in itself. Connie starts hanging out at the drive-in burger joint in search of her ticket into the opulent adult world society has groomed her to believe exists. Oates uses the setting to emphasize the polarity of Connie’s persona based on her locale, informing the reader “Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home.” During her outings at the drive-in, Connie masks her innocence with a mature façade hoping to attract the hero sent to save her from the perils of her simplistic life.
This coming-of-age story illustrates the moment when Connie’s life is thrust into the trials of adulthood. Having immersed herself into a world requiring maturity she lacks, Connie’s decision-making is clouded with storybook delusions and naiveté. She only becomes cognizant of the irreversibility and magnitude of those choices once it is too late. Arnold Friend represents the dark and irreversible consequences that come with making adult choices, and the evil that is waiting in the wings as the curtain closes on our childhood. In the article “In Fairyland Without a Map,” Gretchen Schulz and R.J.R. Rockwood argue that had Connie “been nurtured on fairy tales instead of popular songs and movies she would not feel at such a loss,” and “would have some sense of how to survive” as she faces evil. (Schulz and Rockwood 529) While there is some truth to this argument, I maintain that Schulz and Rockwood overlook the important truth that storybooks, much like mainstream pop culture, offer glorified standards of romance and the idea that love and innocence will redeem them from danger. Joyce Carol Oates allegorically exemplifies this rise and fall of idealistic adolescent expectation through her portrayal of Connie - who yearns for her prince - and of Arnold Friend, who projects just enough charm to conceal the evil fabric of …show more content…
Symbolism is apparent within the setting as the two locale’s morph into a representation of childhood versus adulthood; where she is going, and where she has been. As the story progresses, Connie becomes less and less capable of bridging the “chasm between ‘home’ and ‘anywhere but home.’” (Schulz and Rockwood 527) Connie’s delusions of grandeur interfere with her perception of reality. As she wakes from sunbathing, Connie is shocked at the plainness of her surroundings. Oates denotes, “The asbestos ranch house that was now three years old startled her—it looked small. She shook her head as if to get awake.” (2) Connie viscerally believes she is a princess living among paupers and hopes that waking to this simplistic home she has woken to is only a dream in itself. Connie starts hanging out at the drive-in burger joint in search of her ticket into the opulent adult world society has groomed her to believe exists. Oates uses the setting to emphasize the polarity of Connie’s persona based on her locale, informing the reader “Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home.” During her outings at the drive-in, Connie masks her innocence with a mature façade hoping to attract the hero sent to save her from the perils of her simplistic life.