similarities between the short stories "A&P" and "Where are you going‚ Where have you been?" most notably their characters. Both stories contain a female protagonist‚ and a male antagonist‚ whose confrontations start out relatively normal‚ and progress to more and more surreal and twisted endings. Their main characters‚ Sammy and Connie‚ are shockingly similar‚ and yet strangely different‚ one a 15 year old wishing to be older and beautiful‚ the other An eighteen year old boy from a small suburb outside
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Coming of Age Story Reports of serial rapists and murderers are all too common in today’s day and age. In these cases‚ generally the main focus and intrigue lies with the killer rather than the victim. Once the focus is switched to the victim‚ we might see all sorts of different scenarios play out. Although Joyce Carol Oates’s‚ “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” was inspired by real life events and reports of a serial rapist murderer‚ it can also be read as a coming of age story in which
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In Joyce Carol Oates’ "Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?" the author goes into depth of the transition from being a carefree‚ innocent child to the complexity and uncertainty of the future when one becomes an adult. The message begins even before the story itself actually does. The title illustrates the passage of time in life such as the phrase "where are you going" refers to the question of what direction does one have for his own life. "Where have you been?" is a question which involves
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1. “Where are You Going? Where Have You Been?”: What is an allusion? Read the story with an eye to allusions of “Little Red Riding Hood”. What is an archetype? What archetype does the description of Arnold Friend suggest? What does Arnold’s car represent? What archetype do Connie and her description suggest? What archetype does the conflict between Connie and Arnold suggest? Can this story be considered as a cautionary tale? An allusion is something that relates a subject or idea and
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Fantasy versus Reality in Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been? Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates has a constant theme of reality and fantasy running parallel for 15 year old Connie. This short story begins with a description of Connie’s vain personality. The narrator describes her as pretty and self-centered (Oates 421). To emphasize her selfishness‚ Connie is contrasted with her sister‚ June‚ who is chubby‚ plain‚ and well-behaved. Connie’s mother always praises
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In the short story “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been‚” Joyce Carol Oats uses characterization including methods such as symbolism and allusions to develop her characters‚ and thus establish her theme of the cross roads Connie faces in her transition from the innocence of her adolescence to the impurity of adulthood facilitated by the antagonist‚ Arnold Friend. From the beginning of the story‚ the reader sees Connie has a strong desire to make her early transition into adulthood. Although
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Hurst 1 Allison Hurst Professor Ben Mayo English Comp II 30 April 2011 Analysis of “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates In 1966‚ Joyce Carol Oates published her short story “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?”. Oates was inspired to write this story after reading about a serial killer that was referred to as “The Pied Piper of Tucson”. Oates was disturbed by the number of teenagers that this killer was able to persuade to help him and keep his secrets
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Loving‚ Superficial‚ Intimate Teens "Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates catapults its reader into a seductive‚ fifteen-year-old mindset‚ embodied by the main character‚ the rebellious Connie. Connie‚ much like Sammy‚ the main character from "A & P" by John Updike‚ is on the prowl for companionship and sex. Their unsuccessful search for intimacy‚ appreciation for family life‚ and superficial attitudes are what bring them together as similar characters but also what
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The story “Where are you going‚ where have you been?” by Joyce Carol Oats embraces some ideas of existentialism theory‚ popular in the sixtieths of the past century‚ that a person’s true and best qualities reveal during dramatic situations‚ usually during their fighting for life. This story is about a teenage girl‚ whose behavior and a perception of self drastically changes within minutes because of a brutal reality breaking into her life and destroying it. Connie is a protagonist of the story. She
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Joyce Carol Oates’ story‚ “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” is initially about a teen (Connie) who is going through the beginning phases of teen life‚ playing into the stereotype of an image-conscious teen. She is recalcitrant with her parents‚ sneaks off to start hanging out with boys‚ et cetera. About a third of the way through the story‚ a man that she had seen earlier at the diner shows up to take her out for a drive‚ and the situation goes downhill as she asks him more and more questions
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