Examples Of Fantasy Vs Reality In Where Are You Going Where Have You Been
Fantasy vs. Reality
The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, explores the supernaturality, uncertainty, and the unknowing. All is shown through the display of sexual violence, deception, and vulnerability. Although, due to the supernatural aspects of the short story, there is blur between reality and fantasy. To begin, some readers may believe that Connie, the main character, actually experiences the presence of antagonists, Arnold Friend and Ellie Oscar. Although, Arnold knows everything about Connie without ever meeting her. Also, he mysteriously knows what is going on at the cookout that Connie’s family is attending when he and Ellie arrive. Arnold’s psychic abilities would infer that he is part
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Arnold's appearance and actions are illustrated as inhumane and demonic. For example, when Arnold warns Connie not to call the police, she makes the effort of calling anyways and could only hear a distinct roar. The “roar” is assumed to be affiliated with Arnold. Arnold also deceives Connie when he plays the same music that she listens to and attempts to use slang in order to appear more approachable and appealing to her, but fails due to do so when he uses an outdated expression, “MAN THE FLYING SAUCERS” (Oates). In addition, Arnold’s last name being “Friend” is Oates association with deception because Arnold is far from a friend of …show more content…
Both the content and the form create an overall allusion, that being the importance of child innocence. Going from being a typical teenager with confidence, to a sexually abused, vulnerable 15 year old, can truly affect the future of that child or person in general. Which is also why, in my opinion Oates leaves it to the reader’s imaginations as to what exactly happens to Connie after she leaves with the predator Arnold. Nobody really wants to think that something or someone so evil exists in the world we live in, but Oates does it in such a way that readers are compelled to wonder what really happens to
Character Analysis Of Arnold Friend In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
1147 Words | 5 PagesThe short story “Where Are you Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates brings a dark transition of a child to an adult. Connie, the main character, is a young girl with all the care-free worries of someone her age. She day-dreams about romance and love through the popular songs on the radio, spends evenings with friends at the local shopping mall and dive diner, and flirts with boys. Like many girls her age, Connie seems to sleep-walk through life, dancing to a tune that only she can hear or understand. But this is cut away when she meets a stranger named Arnold Friend.
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Arnold Friend Character Analysis
1344 Words | 6 PagesWriters interpret this as him being a popular rendition of the Devil, as Werlock writes, “he may be the devil himself, an identity many critics see inherent in his stumbling walk and his inability to balance in his boots: Cloven hooves may be the source of his difficulties” (Werlock). Werlock suggests that the reason Friend’s appearance seems so patchworked is because he is incorporating as many tactics as possible to hide his attributes. Other characteristics of this representation of the Devil include horns and a pointed tail, which aren’t mentioned. His eyes are also described as being dark and sunken, and they were hidden carefully by mirrored sunglasses until Friend took them off. It’s important to point out that Connie, while picking
Harold And Maude: Film Analysis
1792 Words | 8 PagesAlthough the quality of an actor’s performance is generally subjective, certain performances on film have been deemed extremely noteworthy due to their ability to impress various audiences and film critics. The characters within these performances differ in terms of appearance and personality; however, specific qualities within the actors that play their roles remain common throughout. For example, actors that display emotions realistically and react naturally to fictional circumstances within performances often tend to achieve more success. Anthony Perkins’ portrayal of Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s film, Psycho, rests among some of the greatest performances on film along with Bud Cort ’s portrayal of Harold Chason in Hal Ashby’s film,
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Comparison
1203 Words | 5 PagesIn “The Flowers”, Alice Walker explores the woods through the eyes of a little girl named Myop, but she soon realizes the world isn’t as nice as flowers. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”, Joyce Carol Oates follows a young girl named Connie who is focused on others and her own appearance, until she is introduced to the world in a unexpected way. Both Walker and Oates use young girls to show the harsher sides of the world and how their childhood changes to adulthood in different ways. The main thing that Myop and Connie have in common is that they are both females, but their looks and the way the live are totally different.
Analysis Of Where Are You Going Where Have You Been
1181 Words | 5 PagesThe short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” was written by the author Joyce Carol Oates in 1966. Oates describes her idea for the story after briefly reading an article about the real-life murderer, Charles Schmid, who lured and murdered three teenage girls (Kirszner & Mandell 523). She uses this idea to create the character, Arnold Friend, and his victim, Connie. Connie is a typical teenage girl portrayed as naïve and self-centered. The short story appears realistic, given that the conflict in the story is based off of real events.
Archetypes In Where Are You Going Where Have You Been
1428 Words | 6 PagesHome is where the heart is, but what if home is no longer safe? Joyce Carol Oates explores this concept in her 1966 short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”. On surface level, this story appears to discuss a rebellious young girl named Connie and her confrontation with Arnold Friend, a stalker. The ending leaves the reader to assume that Arnold Friend plans to sexually assault the young girl.
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Theme Analysis
1255 Words | 6 PagesI believe that in the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” false perception V.S. reality is seen. The main theme in this short story is the conflict between fantasy and reality. One of the main characters in this short story is Connie. She tries very hard to create an adult persona.
Examples Of Allusions In Where Are You Going Where Have You Been
854 Words | 4 PagesHe mysteriously knows where Connie lives and invites himself to drive over to her house. Arnold assumes Connie’s friendship by convincing her that he knows everything and everybody, “I know your name and all about you” (Oates 201) when she never told him her name in the first place. He knew her friends, their names as well as what she did the night before. He also knew exactly where Connie’s family was, at a BBQ at Connie’s aunt Tille’s.
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Literary Devices
688 Words | 3 PagesShe listens to love songs and follows modern pop culture believing that she can command the attention of the boys with her style. She only draws herself closer to sexuality and becoming an adult. Characterization is brought out in Connie and Arnold. Connie is a naïve teenage girl who is conscious about her looks, making her an easy target for antagonists such as Arnold. Arnold is over twenty and is attracted to the weakness of Connie, which brings out the reality about him against Connie’s Fantasy (Oates 3) the literal device of symbolism is used in the short story wherein the walkaway to Eddie’s
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Arnold Friend Comparison
1190 Words | 5 PagesIn the story, Connie looked at the phrase “man the flying saucers and she felt like “words meant something to her that she did not yet know” (p.) which if she was on drugs she might not be aware of the fact that what she is seeing is not real, but eventually when she is sober she will understand. The ambiguity of Arnold Friend leaves many unanswered questions for readers. Unless Joyce Carol Oates decides to reveal the real Arnold Friend, readers may never know if he was in fact the devil or just a figment of Connie’s
Literary Devices In Where Are You Going Where Have You Been
804 Words | 4 PagesIn her short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", Joyce Carol Oates utilizes a variety of literary devices to strengthen the story in its entirety. This short story is essentially about a 16-year-old girl named Connie and the conflict between her desire to be mature and her desire to remain an adolescent. Throughout the story, the audience sees this conflict through her words in addition to through her behavior. The audience is also introduced to Arnold Friend, a rather peculiar man, who essentially kidnaps her. This short story by Joyce Carol Oates functions and is additionally meaningful because of her usage of literary devices.
Analysis Of Where Are You Going Where Have You Been
1203 Words | 5 PagesThroughout the story, there are many instances: the illogical time and settings, the similarity between Arnold and Connie and the unrealistic events show that the meeting between Connie and Arnold Friend is a dream. The dream is also a preparation for Connie before she steps onto the stage of being an adult. Connie’s dream begins when she refuses to go to her aunt’s house for barbecue party. She stays home, and under the warmness of the sun, she begins her day dreaming about love and the boy she has met the night before. In the beginning, the author writes “Connie sat with her eyes closed in the sun…”
Analysis Of Carol Joyce Oates Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?
1777 Words | 8 PagesCarol Joyce Oates’ “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?” presents how falling into temptation leads to giving up control and innocence. Though her mother is unapproving of her actions, Connie spends her time seeking attention from male strangers. Home alone, Connie is approached by a compelling creature who convinces her to leave her life and join him on his unknown journey. Through disapproving her family, having multiple appearances, listening to music, and her desperation to receive attention from boys, Connie gives up control of herself losing the purity of adolescents and contributing to her detrimental fate. It is imperative that one should not be controlled because of a desire to impress others.
Character Analysis Of Connie In 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been'
984 Words | 4 PagesInstead of realizing the danger that she was in, Connie was focused on what Arnold Friend was wearing and how attractive he was. Connie’s obsession with finding her own sexuality overpowered her gut feeling of danger. In an analysis of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”, Barbara Wiedemann discusses how the antagonist Arnold Friend is based upon serial killer Charles Schmid, who murdered several young girls during the 1960s. In the analysis, Wiedemann
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Literary Analysis
694 Words | 3 PagesHe knew her name even though she had only quickly glimpsed at him the night prior with no communication from her at all. He knows where her parents are, what they are doing, how long they will be, how they look he even knows who her best friends are. Essentially Arnold Friend is the very essence of nightmare to Connie he is everything she is afraid of. He pressures her in to a situation out of her control. He takes away her pride of rejecting people and forces her to choose her family being hurt of facing her demons and going with him.
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