Fiction Analysis Where are you going‚ Where have you been? The story is based in 1960s American suburbs and is told through the eyes of a teenager named Connie. The theme of the story revolves around Connie and her feelings as it is basically told through the eyes of a teenager. The reader is first introduced to the main character Connie and the theme of innocence is established. The first parts of the essay tell us how Connie does not get along with her mother or her sister. It is shown in some
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English Comp II 11 April 2013 The Only Journey is the One Within The purpose of the journey of life is the journey itself - not to get somewhere. We already are somewhere‚ exactly where we need to be and to go forward from. It’s not about the destination/ending point‚ but about destiny‚ which is an eternal going forward that is already here‚ all along the way. It is our manifest destiny to live and learn and grow throughout eternity. Life is often described as a journey of discovery and growth
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Weinberger’s article makes many interesting points about the character of Arnold Friend in “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been”- the main idea being that Arnold represents Connie’s “other self”. According to the article‚ this can be observed in how Connie and Arnold are opposites in both appearance and behavior‚ and Arnold’s purpose is to induct Connie into adulthood. I disagree with the idea that Arnold is Connie. While the article gathered a lot of good evidence to support this claim‚ I think the
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“Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” should not be read through a fantasy/allegorical lens‚ but through a lens of reality. Reading it through the former limits the potency of the story. Everything that takes place in the story is believable‚ and in fact‚ many details of the story are based on real events. Arnold Friend is based on Charles Schmid‚ a real life serial killer who was responsible for the murder of three young girls. Schmid was arrested in 1965 for the rape and murder of Allen Rowe;
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Wicked The real world chooses to hide the wickedness of mankind‚ while the world of fiction chooses to highlight it. In the stories “The Overcoat” by Nikolai Gogol‚ “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez‚ and “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates‚ especially highlight the time the horrible aspects of man. Each one highlighting the corruption of man in their own unique way. The social hierarchy is a key part to the wickedness of mankind. This is a
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is significant in a person’s life and it can be different for men and women. Not all transitions to adulthood are peaceful; they can violent transitions as seen in Richard Wright’s The Man Who Was Almost a Man and Joyce Carol Oates’ Where are You Going‚ Where Have You Been. These two stories reflect how males and females are represented differently in society through the protagonist violent transition to adulthood. The Man Who Was Almost A Man by Richard Wright is about a young adult named Dave
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throughout the story strengthen the main themes to show the contrast of Connie’s fantasies and reality. “Where are you going‚ where have you been.”‚ leaves us with the question can we handle such a change? Good and evil‚ yin and yang‚ the idea of everything and everyone having two opposite sides has been talked about by humans for centuries and that’s just what Oats is commenting on throughout the story starting with the main character Connie. An average teenage girl living in a limbo of two worlds
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The Effects of Not Having a Stable Father-Figure The lack of having an actual father figure caused Connie to grow up too fast. Connie’s father did not acknowledge her‚ nor did he care about her what she did. Eventually leading her to unknowingly soon then become rebellious and act older than her actual age. Being raised with no man to be or act as a father to her‚ and any young girl’s life in general‚ allows a much higher chance of being at risk for an attraction towards older men‚ premarital sexual
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In Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been Joyce Carol Oates uses compelling themes to convey real life issues to the readers. She also exploits many references to well know fairytales through symbols and motifs. This short story shares the theme of good versus evil to the fairytales Cinderella‚ Rapunzel and Snow White. The theme of evil is first expressed through Connie’s and Cinderella’s afflictions with their sisters that shape the essence of sibling rivalry. Like Cinderella‚ Connie’s sister
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people through a loophole‚ cause confusion amongst each other‚ and contrast uniformity. Psychopaths lead to the death of individuals that conform to the standard and have no remorse for the action. They disrupt the flow of progress and end the life of another with no penalty of law. Psychopaths work to change how society thinks as a norm‚ such as a psychopath in “Cask of Amontillado‚” “The Lottery‚” and “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been.” “Cask of Amontillado” shows how a calm person can hide
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