Comparison of Smooth Talk to “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” Joyce Carol Oakes’s short story‚ “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” was written in 1966 and twenty years later was made into a movie entitled Smooth Talk‚ winner of the 1985 U.S. Film Festival for best dramatic picture. The writing by Oates is loosely based on a true story described as “the tale of Charles Schmid‚ a twenty-three-year-old who cruises teenage hangouts‚ picking up girls for rides in his gold convertible”
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adulthood is frustrating and confusing‚ and in most adolescents‚ is filled with apprehension and anxiety. For the protagonist Connie‚ this distress is expressed in her dreamlike encounter with Arnold Friend. In the short story “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?‚” Joyce Carol Oates used the interaction between her two main character‚ to reveal the internal fear and conflict of a fifteen year old girl maturing into a young woman. Oates chooses narrate her story in the third person giving
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"Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?" Music is one of the symbols mentioned in this story. The author mentions the music played in everywhere in the story. The author says that "The Music was always in the background". The music comes from restaurants‚ homes and cars. Music symbolizes the feeling and the emotions of the characters. For example‚ music for Connie is a pattern for romantic relationship. When she is happy‚ she hears music in everywhere. On the other hand‚ when she is sad‚ she
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The dramatic irony of “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” conveys the tone of warning about temptation. Connie’s situation is that she does not feel appreciated at home and uses her looks and actions to get attention and appreciation from boys even if it is short-term. She is self-conscious about her looks and is constantly worried about how other people perceive her. Friend’s fantasy is that Connie will willingly go with him and be his “lover” (605) even before he officially met her. The
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In Joyce Carol Oates’ “‘Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?’ and Smooth Talk: Short Story into Film‚” Oates writes that Connie “An innocent young girl is seduced by way of her own vanity” and that “she confuses death for erotic romance” (419). Oates clearly defines her point when Connie first discovers Arnold Friend at the drive in diner. She catches Friend staring at her with a big smile and Connie “slit her eyes at him and turned away‚ but she couldn’t help looking back” (409). The fact
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Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been? “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?”‚ is one of Joyce Carol Oates best short stories. Oates shows the reader what it is like to take things for granted and make mistakes through the main character‚ Connie. Throughout this story‚ Connie finds her identity and grows as a woman. In “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?”‚ Joyce Carol Oates shows us the struggle of a young woman dealing with her family‚ sexuality‚ and common mistakes that can be made
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"Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?" By Joyce Carol Oates A short story titled "Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?" tells a tale of an adolescent girl who suffers consequences of growing up in the unsupportive environment and the society preoccupied by the media. It is considered to be the most famous work of Joyce Carol Oates‚ an American writer‚ the winner of many significant literary awards and a two- time candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature. The story was first
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The Devil’s Favorite Sin: Vanity In "Where are You Going‚ Where Have you Been?" Joyce Carol Oates uses an allegorical figure of evil to illustrate the theme of temptation. Oates alludes to hell through the character Arnold Friend‚ as the devil‚ and his victim Connie‚ who invites him in by committing one of the devil’s favorites sins: vanity. The narrator implies that Arnold Friend is Satan by giving certain clues that the reader can easily deduce. The name that Oates gives to the character
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Language of Terror When a person is put in an incredibly horrifying situation where the outcome is unpredictable many physical and emotional changes take place. Joyce Carol Oates’s story "Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?" places Connie‚ a typical teenager‚ in this situation. Throughout the story‚ occasionally using religious undertones‚ Connie’s language of a typical teenager gradually changes‚ from calm and somewhat curious to nervous and terrified. Early in the story on a
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In her essay‚ Where are you going‚ Where have you been‚ Joyce Carol Oates‚ underscores the importance of communication to develop her story. Both the presence and absence of communication are utilized in the evolution of Oates’ purpose. The author relates each of her subjects to archetypal characters in order to firmly cast them into a category. Through careful consideration of detail‚ Oates’ offers a particular understanding of Connie’s relationship with her parents and the world around Connie.
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