Later that night, Connie’s mother sat at the end of Connie’s bed and thought of what happened to her daughter. She was unsure if her daughter was still alive, and feared the thought of her being dead. The thought made her realize how much she had neglected Connie. Sure, she wanted Connie to be more like her sister June, but there were things that she was proud of Connie for. She wished for Connie to still be out there somewhere so that she could tell her about the things she is proud of, like being outgoing rather than nagging her to clean her room and to stop gawking at herself. Connie’s absence would finally give her the attention she had been wanting from her family, but it would not be in the way that she had expected. She would be known
From these mass media, we learn; we dream; we think. This is the same as what Connie does in the story. On the other hand, we as dependent children will try to get rid of our family constraints. We want to be independent just like the way she does. Therefore, Connie is sharing the same experience with us.
But I can’t bring myself to tell my mother that I think I understand how I made Abuela feel.” “(Cofer Ortiz 18-19)” This example shows that Connie made Abuela cry and stop talking which made more examples on why Connie started to understand why she needs to be nicer and more respectful to her feelings because of the way she made Abuela
June also shows an important part in influencing Connie, who desires to be free and joyful, unlike her elder sister. She idealizes male attention and that is exactly what she gets from Arnold. Although a minor character in the story, Connie’s father plays an enormous role in shaping her personality. Her father’s absence impacts her ability to trust and relate to male figures. A daughter requires her father to be the standard in order to judge men.
After Connie experiences this horrendous act she feels as though, “She thought for the first time in her life that it was nothing that was hers, that belonged to her, but just a pounding, living thing inside this body that wasn’t really hers either” (Oates, 9). Connie displays how her life was taken from her by Friend. In an article by Schulz, the
Her mother and she have tension and her father rarely sees her, he works and sleeps “Stop gawking at yourself, who are you? You think you’re so pretty” (Oates page 4). Connie mostly keeps up with her own personal life more than
When Jeannette’s mom gives birth to her fourth child; named Maureen, Jeannette says to her, “I promised her I’d always take care of her” (46). She promises to take care of Maureen, and to take care of her Jeannette has to keep motivated and hope for the best, but also remain dedicated and try her hardest. Making that promise shows Jeannette is mature and she will accomplish whatever is possible for Maureen. As life moves on, Jeannette wants to feel like she knows what is going on in the world, “But a newspaper reporter… I decided I wanted to be one of the people who knew what was really going on” (204).
She tries to escape from the man but he stabs her over and over with no remorse. Connie was too self absorbed to think twice about the man watching her. The consequence is harsh but her vain and rebellious acts got her into a dangerous
The distance that Connie and her mother maintain in her relationship shows how Connie
At the beginning of Joyce Carol Oates’ short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” (1938) introduces Connie a fifteen-year-old girl that is merely in adulthood. Always concerned with her physical appearance and sappy love songs Connie has trouble bonding with her parents. Connie’s mother is on a constant scolding with her. Connie’s father travels for his work and rarely around. When he is home, he rarely comments anything to Connie or her sister, June who is the opposite of Connie.
Connie had a side hidden away from her family. When home she had a “childlike and bobbing walk”( Oates 1) but away from home her walk was “languid enough to make anyone think she was hearing music in her head”. The moral standards and self interpretation of Oates character Connie stems from how her parents treat
After Jeannette got a job in New York as a writer, she would attend parties, art galleries, and etc. When people ask about her background and parents, Jeannette doesn’t tell the exact truth because she felt embarrassed about her parents. She also didn’t want to be looked down upon because of her past. Maureen, Jeannette’s baby sister, left for California after getting out of jail for stabbing her mother. Jeannette felt guilty and sorry for not being able to give Maureen the life she had wanted.
In this story, Oates describes Connie character as a pretty young girl with “long dark blond hair that drew anyone’s eye to it.” (86) Because Connie led two different lives, she would dress and look different at home, then she would with
The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates can be interpreted in a multitude of ways due to its ambiguity. A psychological lens, however, provides the most accurate viewpoint for analyzing the story as it clarifies certain obscure scenes and actions of Connie. One psychological issue of Connie that is easily inferred from the beginning of the story is her insecurity about her looks. Connie constantly worries about the way that she looks and takes any opportunity to do so, “craning her neck to glance into mirrors or checking other people's faces to make sure her own was all right” (1).
“But now her looks were gone and that was why she was always after Connie.” (Oates ). Also, there is another opportunity for friendship within the family, between Connie and her sister, however, that is lost in their rivalry and hostility. “Her sister was so plain and chunky and steady that Connie had to hear her praised all the time – by her mother and her mother's sisters.” ( ).
Connie’s mother keeps picking at her for everything. The mother clearly shows that the older sister June is her favorite. June does everything right and gets praised by her mother all the time. Connie hears almost every day that June saved money, helped clean the house, cooked for the family. When the mother speaks on the phone with her friends, she favors everything that June does, and criticizes Connie.