...the film “Smooth Talk” & Joyce Carol Oates’s short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” are supposed to be the same story, one can only wonder if the same message is actually being presented. Through extensive research on the criticisms of both the story and the film, I 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...
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...Maps of the Real World as Seen in Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Researchers have said for years that reading is good for you. It encourages the thought process and can relays methods of working through situations one has never encountered before; that reading is the difference between a smart well-prepared child and one set in stone for failure. This resonance is similar to that of Gretchen Schulz’s and R.J.R. Rockwood’s belief asserted in “In Fairyland, Without a Map: Connie’s Exploration Inward in Joyce Carol Oates’ ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’” that, “The society depicted in ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’ has failed to make available to children like Connie maps of the unconscious such as fairy tales provide, because it has failed to recognize that in the unconscious, past and future coalesce, and that, psychologically, where the child is going is where he or she has already been” (1453). The point Schulz and Rockwood are making is that Connie’s generation and many following it, are neglecting to read fairy tales as bedtime stories and are consequently inhibiting the child’s ability to experience and work through problems he will encounter in adolescence. Whether we are aware of it or not, these stories have lessons that engrain themselves deeper than that on the superficial layer of a hero will save the day. For my short story analysis I will exemplify Oates’ fairy tale...
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...Jackson State University Department of English and Modern Foreign Languages English 105 Research Paper Rubric ____ I have included my title page. ____ I have included my sentence outline. ____ I have included my table of contents page. ____ I have included my five page body of my research paper. ____ I have included my Works Cited page. ____ I have checked my paper for grammatical accuracy. ____ I have been careful to give my authors credit for the sources I have used. Grammar and Mechanics ________of 20% The writer displays mastery of punctuation and mechanics adhering to grammatical rules. The student uses formal and Standard English avoiding slang and casual language. Content and Subject matter ________of 20% The writer has successfully created a paper displaying original, creative thought and content. There is no redundancy and the writer stays on topic creating an interesting essay for readers. Parallelism, unity, and coherence ________of 20% The writer’s work is clearly organized, and each paragraph adheres to the topic sentence. Additionally, the paper does not ramble and is easily understandable and rational using transitional devices. MLA formatting and documentation ________of 10% The paper adheres to all the strictures of the MLA format including in text citations, direct quotations, and proper Works Cited documentation. Thesis Statement and Application ________of 10% The thesis statement is present and concise...
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...Richard McQuitery Analyzing “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” English 221 Westwood College “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates is a story with connections to Bob Dylan, has themes of control and family, and has an antagonist that is believed to have been based on a serial killer. It is one of many stories of the ages that will be discussed for years to come. Joyce Carol Oates dedicated this short story to Bob Dylan. Oates admitted in an interview that after hearing Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” she was inspired to write the story. (Davidson, 1997) Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you Forget the dead you’ve left, they will not follow you The vagabond who’s rapping at your door Is standing in the clothes that you once wore Strike another match, go start anew And it’s all over now, Baby Blue (Dylan, 1965) After hearing these lyrics in Dylan’s song, it is very easy to identify the scene with Connie speaking to Arnold Friend through the screen door. The song’s eerie tone adds a greater depth to Arnold and Connie’s conversation. In an interview on Youtube, Oates was asked why she dedicated the story to Bob Dylan, and her response was: “…Dylan was in a phase where he was writing music like “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” and that song, and some others on the same album were rather like fairy tales and nursery rhymes that had gone wrong. He had taken a kind of simplicity of imagery...
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... 2012 Comparison of Eveline and Connie “Eveline” and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” are similar stories set in different eras. “Eveline” is a short story written by James Joyce. “Where are you going, Where have you been” is a short story written by Joyce Carol Oates. Eveline and Connie are two teenage girls who are ultimately trapped by the influences of their cultures. The church plays a heavy influence on Eveline throughout the story. Eveline is conflicted on whether she should leave with Frank or stay behind with her father. The unknown priest mentioned in the story appears to be significant because of his absence. The priest represents the Catholic Church, a powerful influence in Dublin but he is only remembered from a “yellowing photograph” (Joyce 4). Eveline's religion is not a relief to her at this point in her life; it is a set of rules to live by, which are deeply implanted in her. Eveline is left with obligations and duties, "promises made to Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque"(Joyce 4), but she does not have support from a church to help her carry them out. The nameless priest who represents the church, like everyone else immigrated to a place far away. Another cultural factor that traps Eveline is the Patriarchal household. Eveline is living with a father who is becoming more and more abusive. She is the last that’s left of her family, her mother has died and her brothers have moved on. She sits at the window pondering over her past and what...
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...The Truth Behind Arnold Friend In Joyce Carol Oates short story, “Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?”, it is argued that the antagonist in the story is the incarnation of evil; Arnold Friend. Connie, the protagonist in the story, was a naïve fifteen year old who was fascinated by boys and was constantly out of the house with her friends. She always talked about the positive effects of her looks, but never realized the negative attention that could draw from how she dressed and acted outside of her house. Arnold Friend was drawn to Connie from the first time he saw her. One day Arnold visited Connie's house harassing her to come take a ride with him and he would not take no for an answer. That was the negative attention that Connie did not want. It is concluded at the end of the story that Connie gave in and went with Arnold knowing her fate would probably be death. Joyce Carol Oates never actually let her audience know who or what Arnold Friend represented, but it is argued that he may or may not be the devil. Throughout the story, Oates used many different ways to show that Arnold could be the incarnation of evil including lust, symbolism, and various religious references. At 15, most young girls in the 1960s were not as adventurous with boys as Connie. It was looked down upon by just about any adult for girls to be alone with any boy at her age. Connie was never really interested in the individual boys she had met, but more of the feeling she got from being in that...
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...they shoveled in coal; sparks whirled out into the night. It was terrible. The driver stood there in the light of the fire, pale, motionless, his features as though turned to stone.,” represents death. We know this because the narrator uses words like “Pale, motionless,” and “Turned to stone.” These words, which are used to describe the driver, resemble words which would commonly be used to describe a corpse. Also, the mood and words of the second half of the story indicate fear and worrisome. Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been Allusions to popular music reveal the shallow character of Connie and her friends in the short story, “Where are You Going, Where Have You Been,” by Joyce Carol Oates. “And Connie paid close attention herself, bathed in a glow of slow-pulsed joy that seemed to rise mysteriously out of the music itself and lay languidly about the airless little room, breathed in and breathed out with each gentle rise and fall of her chest.” In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates, we find Connie and her friends are/seem shallow. We know this because they worship the Big Boy at the hamburger restaurant. Alternatively when she’s home alone, she’s always obsessed with the music as we are told by the narrator, “And Connie paid close attention herself, bathed in a glow of slow-pulsed joy that seemed to rise mysteriously out of the music itself and lay languidly...
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...Symbolism of “Screen Door” “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, is packed with symbols that are very important to the meaning of the short story. There are several important symbols in the story that eventually leads up to Connie’s decision to give herself to Arnold. One of the crucial symbols in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is the screen door of Connie’s house. The screen door symbolizes Connie's transition from a teenager to a mature woman that is accepting her fate. Throughout the story Connie is scared to open the door and go outside, the closest she gets is when the boys first pull up and she “hung[s] out the screen door, [with] her toes curling down off the step” (Oates 508). Connie knows that Arnold won’t come in the house because he tells her several times, “I’m not coming in that house after you” (Oates 513). So in a way she feels comforted by the screen door that is separating them. The screen door is a boundary between Connie and Arnold, Connie stands inside the house as Arnold stands on the front porch with his arms open. If Connie opens the screen door to go out with Arnold she is excepting her fate but if she keeps the screen door shut and stays inside, she remains the fearful young teenager who is not ready to leave. By the end of the story Connie has made up her mind, “She put her hand against the screen door. She watched herself push the door slowly open as if she were safe back somewhere in the other doorway,...
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...Kyle Nerbonne English 1102 Dr. Wilson Spring 2011 Title Joyce Carol Oates, an American fiction writer, was born in 1938, in Lockport, New York and many hold Oates as "America's preeminent master of the short story.” Her literary career began with her first novel, With Shuddering Fall, in 1964. Soon after she wrote her most noted work, “Where are you going, where have you been.” She grew up in the Erie County countryside near Lockport, which provided the setting for some of her stories and novels. I believe that this area where she grew up was where she based her story “Where are you going, Where have you been.” She was raised in a catholic household, but now is an Atheist, which could be why in “Where are you going, Where have you been” she is portraying the battle between good and evil. Oates’s critics argue that this short story is about sexual innocence, but I believe that Oates is portraying the religious battle between good and evil and she describes real life in her fictional work. In “Where are you going, Where have you been,” Connie, the young girl, hates her mom because her mom is jealous that her daughter is so beautiful. So Connie and her mom are always fighting and arguing about how Connie needs to be careful. When Connie leaves her house and goes out with her friends she dresses modestly just to make her mom happy, but when her friend’s dad drops her off she rolls up her shirt so that she is showing off some skin. She and her friends go to a fly infested,...
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...The Aha! Moment “You get the sense that the scene is an answer to something. It can be such an epiphany and that's what's so powerful about it. But the danger is that the very epiphany that you have initially can ultimately lead you into a trap, escaping life,” spoken by Greg Harrison. This quote underscores the nature of epiphanies as both the solution to a literary or actual problem and as a dangerous trap. In The Seagull Reader Stories,“Cathedral”, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, and “A&P,” all depict epiphanies. To have an epiphany, one needs to have an arrival of understanding and develop a new sense of intuitive realization. Epiphanies do not always have a bad ending with a trap, but each story has its own unique epiphany which creates vulnerability and or illuminates life lessons. During an epiphany, there is a sudden realization, often depicted in cartoons as a lit lightbulb floating over a character's head. Concommit with this realization, is an exposure and vulnerability to an ambush. Often, when the hidden knowledge is revealed, the discoverer is susceptible to the consequences of their discovery. Sammy, the protagonist in “A&P” by John Updike, goes through an epiphany. Three girls walk into A&P, the grocery store where Sammy is a cashier. The girls are dressed in only bathing suits and the store manager scolds the girls for their attire. Sammy suddenly realizes that he didn’t want to work for a person that is rude to girls. Sammy quits his job in an...
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...INTRO “I consider tragedy the highest form of art.” Joyce Carol Oates reveals her very realist outlook though this quote, which she stated on a PBS interview in 2008. As an American Author from 1963, being a woman writer was overlooked, however, she managed to make a career out of something she started to love as a child. Throughout this speech, I will tell you about Joyce’s life, the book of hers that I read, and how she connects to what we’ve learned in English Lit thus far. BODY 1. The Author Joyce Carol Oates was born on June 16th on her parents' farm, outside the town, and went to the same one-room schoolhouse her mother had attended. This rural area of upstate New York, straddling Niagara and Erie Counties, had been hit hard by the Great Depression. The few industries the area enjoyed suffered frequent closures and layoffs. Farm families worked desperately hard to sustain meager subsistence. But young Joyce enjoyed the natural environment of farm country, and displayed an interest in books and writing. Although her parents had little education, they encouraged her ambitions. When, at age 14, her grandmother gave her her first typewriter, she began consciously preparing herself, "writing novel after novel" throughout high school and college, said American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies. Without the typewriter from her grandmother, she may not have even started writing seriously. When she transferred to the high school in Lockport, she quickly distinguished...
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...Hullinger Mike Fiscel English W132 26 September 2013 From Tribes to Literature The word Goth derives from a German tribe referred to as the Goths. The term Gothic was later used during medieval times for the construction of buildings with pointed arches and vaults (Lad). In my essay, I chose to discuss two pieces of Gothic fiction. The first piece of Gothic fiction I decided to discuss is, “The Cask of Amontillado.” It was published in 1846 by the famous short-story writer and poet, Edgar Allan Poe. The second piece of Gothic fiction I chose to discuss is, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” It was published in 1966 by Joyce Carol Oates. In Gothic literature there any many characteristics to its writing and famous short-stories such as “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” contain many of those Gothic fiction characteristics. Summary “The Cask of Amontillado” is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe. Montresor is the main character of the story and also acts as the narrator. The story begins by him vowing his vengeance towards Fortunato for insulting him. Montresor hides his animosity towards Fortunato so he does not expect anything. He maintains a deceiving presence towards Fortunato and plots to exploit Fortunato’s weakness for luxurious wines. Carnival season came upon the city and Montresor finds Fortunato at the carnival. He invites him to try some of his sherry at his home. Montresor doubts Fortunato’s skill with wines which...
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...Throughout the history of the world, society has been plagued by periods of extreme brutality and disorder, and it is often difficult to come to terms with what happened. All forms of literature, from novels to short stories to poems, can offer a way to understand those kinds of atrocities in which people may not be familiar or able to come to terms, by presenting a coping mechanism that is relatable. Examples of how literature allows society to accept the violence and oppression that surrounds them can be found in Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Since both stories contain events that seem cruel and horrifying, readers can analyze the actions of the “villain” and make connections to the real world and relate it to the horrors of everyday life....
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...“A Good Man is Hard to Find,” by Flannery O’ Conner, adumbrates disastrous occurrences throughout the duration of Bailey and his family’s seeking adventure. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, by Joyce Carol Oates, betokens the desperate and sexual actions desires towards Connie. O’ Conner and Oates sporadically introduce vague details which alter into essential content. For example, the swift interaction between Connie and Arnold Friend, or the consecutive acknowledgment of the Misfit were fundamental. The usage of foreshadowing creates a personal panorama throughout the perception of individuals, and offers a broad interpretation for the outcome. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” displays definite usage of foreshadowing. O’ Conner acquired...
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...Two stories, two individuals, and two different personalities coming together to create a suspenseful and spine-chilling form of literature to surly make the reader obtain the full experience. In Charlotte Gilman’s short story The Yellow Wallpaper, the storyteller is a patient with her husband as her caretaker who has been confined to a specific bedroom. This woman has been forced against her will to have no form of action to express herself which leads to an uncanny and incomprehensible withdrawal from reality. Another short story with similar uneasy narration written by author Joyce Carol Oates is called Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? exemplifying a woman who has decided it is time that she goes out and has some fun in the town...
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