Joyce Carol Oates

In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, we come to identify a distinct theme of fantasy vs. reality. They come to light and understanding by the two main characters, Connie and Arnold. Through Arnold and the progression of the story we come to be revealed the truth and inaccuracy, by personification of the distinction between reality and what one would perceive to be reality through an adolescent girls mindset, of the understanding of boys and sex, young girls…

the attempts to find sense of being and individuality. The search to find oneself is to find oneself is often accompanied with challenges and frustrations. This is present in the short story, "Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?," by Joyce Carol Oates. Oates shows how easily influenced one can be growing up. The story strongly depicts the themes of fantasy vs reality and the search for independence during adolescence. Both themes work hand-in-hand as the main character, Connie attempts to…

n the short story " Where (1)are you going , Where have you been ? " . , Joyce Carol Oates creates a story of a young girl stuck in arrested development . A young girl named Connie is stuck in a fantasy and refuses to see things in the correct light . Connie is a girl (2)who is full of herself . She has no respect for people (3)who is in charge of her and she does what she wants . She decides to do what she wants and takes her journey (4)in life alone . Sometimes a person will create illusions…

darker. The same concept is exhibit as the main theme in, Joyce Carol Oates 's “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” The main character is a fifteen-year-old girl name, Connie. Who is trying to identify herself as an adult with her newfound sex appeal and attitude? However, she confuses her reality over her daydream of boys. Once she faces the antagonist Arnold Friend and his friend, Connie is jerked back to the dark reality. Oates uses a significant amount of symbols within the short…

Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” fictionalizes a true story that many would undoubtedly roll his or her eyes at and claim that he or she would never be so ignorant, naïve, and just plain foolish as Connie, the 15-year-old main character. Everyone would like to say that he or she would be clever enough to find a way out of Connie’s predicament without agreeing to go along with Arnold Friend, even at the age of 15, but this is highly unlikely. Given the circumstances…

You’ve Got a Friend in Me The story “Where are you going, where have you been” written by Joyce Carol Oates, chronicles the story of a young girl named Connie faced with the ultimate choice of saving her life or her family. Oates uses the deal with the devil genre short story to show the struggle Connie dealt with and how she reacted to the choice of life or death. In Oates story, Arnold Friend is the literal devil because of his unruly, translucent appearance, his overwhelming knowledge of…

In the short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, the downfalls of Connie are her insecurities and low self esteem resulting in her going with Arnold Friend at the end of the narrative. This is shown through the descriptions in the beginning of the story as well as Connie’s actions involving Arnold. Connie is a fifteen year old girl who is having some internal conflicts and this majorly affects the outcome of the story. At the beginning of the story, it…

In Joyce Carol Oats, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" the main character, Connie, is a 15 year old who is at constant war with her family and is in a rush to grow up which divides her into two different people: "One for home and one for anywhere that was not home" (Oates 322). Connie spends her time listening to music, having fun with her friends and trying to meet boys. As soon as she is free from home, the child in her is hidden, and she becomes what she believes is a young woman.…

enriches all minds and should be encouraged. Reading literature instead of news articles about a celebrity online can create a brighter and healthier mind. I found this out through the readings "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" by Flannery O 'Connor, and “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry. First, the short story "Where Are You…

Not all good overcomes evil is one of the many themes in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates. This strange story revolves around Connie, a teenager who disobeys her family at home and makes questionable choices with her friends away from home. One night, Connie walked by a creepy man in a gold jalopy who scared her. As the story progresses, the same man drove to Connie’s house in an attempt to entice her to go for a ride with him and his grunt, Ellie. Connie…