...Joyce Carol Oates is an author who is known for writing about the violent behavior of humans and its outcome on everyday people, typically women, and children. In her short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Oates introduces the antagonist named Arnold Friend who is a sexual predator that preys on a teenage girl name Connie. In the story is she fifteen- years old and Friend lures her into what the readers believe is her rape and death. Oates uses Arnold Friends character to demonstrate how easy it is to be deceived by a person’s appearance, how evil a person can be and how one can use psychological torture to persuade an individual. In the beginning, Oates sets up the plot of a questionable character during Connie’s and Friend’s first encounter. Connie often went to the drive-in to hang around older kids. Her desire was to find a love that is “sweet’ and “gentle”. When she encountered Friend at the drive-in he was driving a convertible that she liked and he dressed in a way that appealed to her. Connie’s misperception of Friend’s appearance ultimately leads to her down fall. Arnold Friend is much older than Connie first thinks he is. He...
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...In the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates we are introduced to a character named Connie. Connie likes to sneak out with her friends and hangout with boys who are older than her. One night Connie was asked to go to dinner by a boy named Eddie. When they are walking through the parking lot they come across a man in a gold convertible that says “Gonna get you, baby” (Oates 862). Then a few days past by and Connie is home alone while her Mother and sister went out for a family barbeque. While Connie is alone she notices a car coming up, she realizes that it’s the same gold convertible she saw that one night with Eddie. The reader finds out the the owner of the gold convertible is a man name Arnold Friend....
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...In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, one can see that Arnold Friend is Satan, because he deceivingly lures and steals just like Satan does. The first way Arnold is Satan is portrayed through his deceivingly luring character. In the short story, Arnold drives up to a fifteen year old girl’s home in a gold painted car. He then honks four times in order to deceive the girl, Connie, into believing she actually knows him. Friend hopes the familiar sound of the honk will convince her that he is a friend. In addition, he seems to have the perfect attractive face in Connie’s eyes. But she also feels as if something were wrong for she thinks, “His whole face was a mask, she thought wildly, tanned...
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...The Effects of Distress in the Mind In “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates, Arnold Friend is a manifestation of Connie’s subconscious. Illustrated within the passage Connie, who is under emotional distress, seeks salvation from her family life. Neglection and abandonment from the family, subconsciously induced depressed and rebellious impulses within Connie. Arnold Friend is a figment of her imagination whose persona helps combat her depression with fear, this makes her stronger and more independent. On account of the neglection and lack of attention on Connie from her family, it is inevitable that Connie would become depressed and attempt to seek help. Subconsciously, Connie’s desperation for help goes to the extreme of conjuring up an imaginary male figure to help her in a time of despair. In the story, Connie's Father plays a...
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...Demonstrated through certain clothing choices, peculiar habits, and specific quirks, Arnold Friend's character from Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" represents Charles Schmid, also known as the "Pied Piper of Tuscon," a serial killer responsible for the disappearances and murders of Alleen Rowe, and Gretchen and Wendy Fritz. According to the NY Daily News article, "Justice Story: Pied Piper of Tuscon" by Mara Bovsun, Schmid "was a little pipsqueak of a guy, standing just about 5'3'' tall" (Bovsun). To combat his height disadvantage, Schmid would wear boots and stuff them to make him appear taller; one could imagine that walking in his shoes wouldn't have been the most pleasant experience. This parallels to how...
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...Throughout the whole story “Where Are You going, Where Have You Been” of Joyce Carol Oates, one of the main characters, Arnold Friend, behaves himself in a strange manner. He seems to be a typical psychopath since he demonstrates a range of emotional and interpersonal features which are inherent to such people. The first matter to consider is that psychopaths often talk witty and articulate their thoughts clearly. They can be fun interlocutors, presenting themselves in a positive way. Arnold Friend does exactly in such a manner, being completely sure of his charm. However, excessive shine and smoothness of such people, as well as dishonesty and superficiality, sometimes became evident, so that they seem to play a role. Therefore, Arnold’s...
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...main character in Carol Oates’ short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” is a self conscious teenage girl with a quirky personality. Her condescending mother constantly measures her up against her older sister June, which leads to resentment and tension between Connie and her otherwise admirable sister. On a night out with her friend, Connie has a strange encounter with a boy at a drive in restaurant which introduces the personified Freudian struggle between the ID, Ego, and Superego. First, it is necessary to comprehend how Connie’s family is the personification of the Freudian Superego. By simply relating the characteristics used to describe each family member to the concept of a Superego, the reader can condense their apparent individuality into this definitive Freudian ideal. June, a twenty-four year old still living and working from her parents home, serves as an example of low-risk and conservative decision making. Early in the story Oates writes, “June did this, June did that, she saved money and helped clean the house and cooked and Connie couldn't do a thing, her mind was all filled with trashy daydreams” (Oates, 1), which provides supporting evidence in proving June’s...
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...Analysis of Two Short Stories Laura Cutler Ashford University Introduction to Literature ENG125 Instructor Rivera March 2, 2015 Analysis of Two Short Stories A literary analysis is important to assist a reader in knowing how or why an author writes a particular piece of literature, whether it is a poem, short story, novel , play, informational piece, etc. and then have the ability to relate to it as an individual. In the short stories 'Sweat' and 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been' the characters are from different walks of life, they both encounter conflict of: individual versus self, individual versus individual and individual versus society; many literary devices create theses stories that include the author's point of view, the conflicts that arise throughout and the resolution that takes place in the endpoint of view, the conflicts that arise throughout and the resolution that takes place in the end. The theme to any piece of literature is the basis for the whole story, in 'Sweat' and 'Where are Going, Where Have You Been' the story is centered primarily on one individual and what they each go through to survive an abusive/violent situation. The theme involves the survival of an individual through: external and external factors, that include the influence of society and the issue of class; sexuality of a women and men and the men's masculinity; suffering and the struggles that deal with violence, both physical and mental; family and religion....
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...Social Problems 110 Media Analysis Project. As we sit down and watch the television we see that the most popular shows and cartoons that we mainly watch consist of different types of stereotypes. Not knowing what the media's subliminal message is at this moment, it plays a key role into what our children are taking in with everything they watch and how what they view as a child effects how they see other people. Heiner discusses this in his book that social problems and critical construction-ism affect the way we live today and in the future. There are three TV shows that i have watched and carefully analyzed that show how the media today, has twisted the way we see Television. Not even really knowing that what we are watching is a Guinea-pig instrument that the government uses to make us see how they want everyday life to be. For example these are some of the shows that use stereotypes in every episode to trick us and to make us desire to be like them just because of their gender, race or class. The Cartoon "Hey Arnold" was created by Craig Bartlett and was diversely a stereotypical show that was basically showing people how middle class/poor kids in the ghetto lived and told the adventures they had together. The main Character in this cartoon was a little scrawny low class white kid named Arnold. Arnold is well respected around the city that he lives in just because of his humble and well-mannered nature. He is a quiet kid that has group of friends that he kicks it with and...
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...Milano 1 Elizabeth Milano English 1102 Professor Crowther 9/11/2014 " “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” Literary Analysis “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” is a story that all teenage girls can relate to. It really reminded the readers how difficult life can be for a teenage girl because of all the pressure and feelings that come along with these angst-filled years. “Her name was Connie. She was fifteen and she had a quick nervous giggling habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors, or checking other people’s faces to make sure her own was all right” (145 para. 1). Joyce Carol Oates does an amazing job creating such scenes that do happen to girls in their early teens years. In the story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?,” the main character Connie deals with many coming of age situations including her parents and sister, social situations, and Arnold Friend, a boy. Connie’s mother is always trying to bring her down. She always compares her to June, Connie’s older sister. “Why don’t you keep your room clean like your sister?…” (145 para. 2). This can lead Connie to having a horrible self esteem issue since her mother obviously does not see the best her youngest daughter can be. She is very jealous of how beautiful of a young woman Connie is becoming, and that gives her a reason to tear her down. “Her mother had been pretty once too…but now her looks were gone and that was why she was always after Milano 2 Connie.” (145 para. 1). Her...
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...My Analysis for who is Arnold Friend Since the beginning of time, stories have been told about the forces of good and evil. Some say the devil is the personification of evil, the enemy of God and humankind, and the evil force that never seems to prevail. In a biblical interpretation of Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” one can see how Oates portrays one character, Arnold Friend, as the devil. The story is about a 15-year old girl, Connie, caught up in the insecurities and fantasies of puberty. After Connie sneaks to the movies with her friends one evening, the wicked eye of the devil spots her and decides to take her for his prey. Friend decides to go to Connies’ home one Sunday afternoon, when he knows her parents aren’t home, and, through the evil he is capable of, change her life for the worse. Oates demonstrates that Friend is the devil by giving him devilish characteristics such as a deceiving appearance of friendship, preying on the weak, and a persistence to do evil. Most evil things appear to be good at first, the later deceive, for who would want to take part in something that seemed evil to begin with? Just as the devil is dressed in a deceiving way, so is Arnold Friend, something more then a mere coincidence. Sex before marriage may seem like a fantastic, satisfying experience, yet “over half of all teens that had sex at least once reported that they wish they had waited (till marriage).” People are drawn into the evil...
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...For my Final paper in this class, I have decided to do a comparative analysis between the movies Higher Learning and Smoke Signals. I will briefly summarize each movie in a few paragraphs and then I will discuss the similarities and differences between the themes in each movie before I discuss overall comparisons between characters, filming techniques used, and racial stereotypes. "Higher Learning" takes place at the fictitious Columbus University, where the producer makes use of a Christopher Columbus statue to suggest a racist atmosphere. Still, he does this effectively during harsh, well-observed opening scenes that capture different attitudes of white and black students on campus. A white students' pep rally is given a frightening intensity. A young white woman clutches her purse tightly when she finds herself in an elevator with a black student. The two groups' different musical tastes present an amusing contrast and a great use of sound design which is described in our textbook American On Film by Benshoff and Griffin. Mr. Singleton creates a lively air of expectation as his half-dozen main characters settle into their dorm rooms and the battle lines are drawn. John Singleton's film, Higher Learning, about the racial and sexual prejudices that color life on a college campus turns out to be an involuntary example of the same small-mindedness it deplores. Everyone here, from beer drinking white fraternity boys to rap-loving, marijuana smoking black students harassed by...
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...Fantasy Versus Reality Fiction Analysis Oates Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?: Truth Blinded by Fantasy It's not uncommon to catch ourselves snapping out of a daydream only to realize how extent our Imagination was. Not only do we fantasize what isn't possible, but also what we want to believe disregarding how close it is to reality. Joyce Carol Oates, the author of a short story, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" uses Connie's character to successfully portray the conflict between fantasy versus reality. Connie, who views the idea of maturity as being experienced with men and exceedingly independent, tries bit too hard to follow those approaches to appear sexually attractive. However, Connie's flirting comes to an end as Arnold's unexpected visit to her house escalates into a horrific incident of kidnapping. This experience forces Connie to confront the reality, ultimately having her fantasy world crumbled. As mentioned previously, the biggest fantasy of Connie's is her perception of maturity. Oates describes Connie as an attractive fifteen year old girl who had a "habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors, or checking other people's faces to make sure her own was all right" (323). Clearly, Connie's major concern consists of finding her sex appeal and having her looks approved by older boys. Without having any proper preparation, Connie throws herself into the merciless world of adulthood. "Someone leaned out a...
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...have come to the realization that the overall moral & the characters of the story have been changed so much for the film version that at the end it’s questionable at best if the overall message of the story comes across as intended. Beginning with the moral of the story, in an article by Joyce Carol Oates herself entitled "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? & Smooth Talk: Short Story into Film” she discusses how she “deferred in the end to Joyce Chopra's [The Film’s Director] decision to reverse the story's conclusion… [in which] the film ends not with death, not with a sleepwalker's crossing over to her fate, but upon a scene of reconciliation, rejuvenation” (Oates, “Where” para 10). Yet, as this deferral might seem slight, in actuality it changes the whole tone of the story, as critic John Simon put it, “[this] disgraceful ending… turns allegory, Gothic horror, and tragedy into soap opera” (Simon, “Lowering” para 1). Yet, besides the ending Joyce Carol Oates did approve of the film, in the same article she also stated, that “Laura Dern is so dazzlingly right as "my" Connie that I may come to think I modeled the fictitious girl on her” (Oates, “Where” para 9). Before I go on I would briefly like to discuss a bit about the historical background of the story, one other thing this article discusses, 2 as well as a few of the other articles I researched discussed was how the character of Arnold Friend is actually based on a real life killer, “The Pied Piper of Tucson”...
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...* Home * Literature * History * The Arts * More Subjects * Sign In * Register Today's Date: May 13, 2014 ------------------------------------------------- Top of Form Advanced Search Bottom of Form ------------------------------------------------- Top of Form Bottom of Form Home » Literature » Poetry » Poem Analysis of “Do Not Go Gently into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas Poem Analysis of “Do Not Go Gently into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas Posted by Nicole Smith, Dec 6, 2011 Poetry No Comments Print In this analysis of “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, it will be explored how this is a poem that explores the helplessness associated with growing old and inching toward death. There are six stanzas in “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night” by Dylan Thomas with a simple rhyme structure that belies the complex message of the poem. In general, it is clear that this is a poem about death and dying but when examined closer, it becomes apparent that it is also about life and how it is lived. Through the structure of “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night” by Dylan Thomas as well as the use and choice of language that invokes certain images and employs certain techniques that arouse deep imagery/ The speaker of the poem “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night” by Dylan Thomas seems to think it is not honorable or befitting for a great or interesting man to die quietly in old age and he encourages the reader to think...
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