Since the age of 13 it has been common in our society for a young teenager to act older than they’re supposed to be. However, while some consider making there own money for doing minor labor work for their parents as “being responsible” Connie, a fifteen year old freshman, took it to whole different level. She was a reckless teenager who was all talk and no play. Instead of helping her parents out at home or thinking about her upcoming year in highschool all she wanted to do was flirt with older guys with her friends. She wanted to be involved with the wrong crowd and wanted to grow up way too quickly. On the other hand, Connie didn’t think of the consequences that came with experiencing the things she wasn’t ready for, consequences that would …show more content…
This could be a main factor on why Connie is as reckless and stubborn as she is. At home Connie seems to live under her older sister, June’s, shadow. Her mother is always praising June and telling Connie that she should be more like her. Connie’s mother also gives Connie are hard time because throughout most of the story and in the film, “Smooth Talk” based off the story itself, she is always making rude remarks at Connie. In the story she’s like this because it is believed that she is jealous of Connie’s youth and beauty. However in the movie it’s because she used to be exactly the way Connie when she was young. In the end, both reasons go hand in hand in why Connie’s mother mistreated Connie and her attitude problem is the result of the …show more content…
However, in the movie Connie didn’t die after being sexually assaulted, but she after the event she started to regret everything she had done in the past and wanted to appreciate her youth more. She was given a reality check in the worst way possible, a way that no one should experience, and she realized that the world of an adult is harder than she
At first glance, we are made to believe that Connie is a static character through her infuriating naivety and cliché persona. When we delve into the story we see the altruistic and sincere characteristics, which
Connie has a conflict with her mother, presented in the story as they continually fight; her mom generally starts the conflict, "Why don 't you keep your room clean like your sister? How 've you got your hair fixed—what the hell stinks? Hair spray? You don 't see your sister using that junk" (308). Connie has a conflict with June, her sister.
Love tends to effect each character’s action differently. For example, love is what motivated the plot of the story “The Valley of Girls” by Kelly Link. For instance, the Olds observed society and performed actions to make sure their children are aligned with success. Love and social status is what makes these people relate, or correlate with each other; it reminds me of a government politically develop by love and society. In “The Valley of Girls” by Kelly Link, from Teenagers and Old are motivated by two specific motives, which are love and social status.
She creates stories and makes assumptions. She also prefers to talk, not listen. For example, when Beth and Calvin go to play golf, Calvin tells Beth that Conrad “needs to know that you don’t hate him”. She gets defensive immediately and starts to accuse Conrad of telling lies to his father, convinced that Conrad is against her. She shows signs of violence, including labeling Instead, she should control her stories and presume that people are basically good.
When Connie realizes that Arnold is much older than she thought, she is taken over by fear of what’s going to happen. This situation is much different than anything else she has ever
Arnold Friend’s Biblical Allusions In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, Joyce Carol Oates tells a story of a young, innocent teenage girl, Connie who enjoys listening to music and begins exploring her sexuality and being with boys “the way it was in the movies and promised in songs” (Oates 198). In fact she catches the attention of Arnold Friend one night while at the mall meeting up with a boy. Not knowing he would appear in her life, Arnold strangely shows up at her house assuming they made plans to get together. His character is seen as the devil.
(115-116). This sedate tone is a clear craft move by the author. She specifically makes Jeannie seem resigned and about to give up. Denials of small, everyday, opportunities like this can have a damaging impact on one’s mental health and can create an inferiority complex. For example, Jeanne starts blaming herself and her race for everything that happens to her.
Grape’s insecurities are noticeable in important parts of the movie, which help the viewers understand why she was acting in certain ways towards her family and other people in the town. Mrs. Grape had anxiety, another depression symptom, because of two reasons: she was always afraid of losing her family and she was always wondering what others could think about her looks. During the movie, we can definitely notice how her anxiety caused her to be dependable of her children and socially isolated from everyone else. Talking about her family, Mrs. Grape couldn’t handle to be separated from her children for long periods. Someone had to be always with her, while the others had to be working or taking care or Arnie.
Overall, it is clear that Connie has three major psychological issues that caused her to make the decision to leave with Arnold Friend: insecurity, low self-esteem, and fear of relationships. While readers may not know where Arnold is taking Connie, they can infer the psychological problems from where she has been that led her to make the decision that she
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” is about a teenager named Connie who is trying to come to terms with her transformation from childhood to adulthood. Through this process, Connie attempts to act older than she is an tries to gain the attention of boys. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” Joyce Oates portrays Connie as obsessed with men to symbolize how one’s obsession and narcissistic attitude can cause danger to seem surreal. In the short story, Carol Oates describes Connie as having two different personalities, one being a narcissistic attitude.
Not only had Connie given up all the physical things she owned, but also her own free will to Arnold. She gave up everything she had available to her, a feat that could only be accomplished by a passive victim. A noble heroine wouldn’t submit herself to someone as easily as Connie
In Joyce Carol Oates’s short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” the main protagonist finds herself in a very hostile situation. With an all most fateful encounter with a man known as Arnold Friend. Forcing her to choose whether to run off with him or taking her by force. This man known as Arnold Friend to the reader comes off as almost a demon. A person who uses many temptations, word play, and threats to take advantage of the young protagonist Connie.
Essay #2 Parents play a very important role in the lives of their children. If parents do it in the right way, it positively impacts children’s mental and emotional condition. One of the main characters from the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, Connie, does not have that kind of relationships with her parents, with who she can share her thoughts or who to get a good advice from. The main reason of all Connie’s mental and emotional problems is that her parents do not play a good role model for her and compare with the older sister. Being parents is far more than just providing children with food and clothes.
She was fundamentally forced into an ordeal that she did not want to partake in. Although Connie is without a doubt a victim in this situation, an argument could be made that Sammy is a victim as well. While I wholeheartedly agree that Connie is most definitely a victim, I cannot agree that Sammy is a victim as well. It was by his own choice that he was left without a job. No one forced him to call out his boss for kicking a couple girls out of the shop he worked in.
Her way of parenting gave Jerry the opportunity to start a new journey on self-discovery, and begin to drastically change his identity. Towards the end of the story, Jerry had become a new kid; he was brave and he didn’t fight his mothers requests. Her opinions were clear and “She was ready for a battle of wills, but he gave in at once. It was no longer of the least importance to go to the bay. ”(Lessing 51).