Supernatural in American literature Where are you going, Where have you been? by Joyce Carol Oates Short story written by Joyce Carol Oates has been one of the most famous stories in America. Where are you going, Where have you been? has a lot of interpretations. Her story consists of many supernatural events and symbols that are very interesting to analyse. Oates has the great ability to build up tension and unpredictable occurrences. That’s exactly what she does in this short story. The whole story concentrates on two main characters, which is a young girl, whose name is Connie, and Arnold Friend the evil character. Oates presents Connie as a fifteen year old girl, that is really concerned by her looks. She is adware how pretty she is …show more content…
She is creating a new attitude for herself which also consists of rebelling against her parents. Arnold Friend is a character that is very hard to define. There are many interpretations who he might be. He is symbolizing the dark and evil side, for sure. As it was mentioned before, the story is heavy with thematic significance and symbolism. Both characters holds two different identities. Connie’s double identity seems very well known for most young people, “Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home.” She was different at home and different when she was out with her friend, flirting with boys. Her attitude outside diverse from the way how she was at home. For many people Connie might seem like a normal teenage girl who seeks her own sexuality and who tries to break from her family. On the other hand we have Arnold Friend. His character is very hard to identify. Of course, when you read you can feel all the evil that he possess in his very own persona. This character made people to think more than anyone else, who exactly he is? That might be the most common question. Many people said that his character might be a psychopath, but from all symbolism around him, he seems more …show more content…
When he visits Connie’s house we are able to see that he has unnatural power to predict and to know what only she could know. He is able to say on point that he knows that Connie’s family went for a barbecue and how they are dressed. He knows exactly how her family looks like, even if they have never met. Arnold asks girl to come out of the house, tries to convince her and make her interested in his person. He is not taking her by force, he promises that he won’t enter the house if she won’t run to the telephone, the reader may recall that the devil as evil spirit cannot cross a threshold uninvited. As before said Arnold Friend is fake from the head to toes. Many things shows us that he might be the evil spirit, the devil. His own name might come as the prove of that. If we take his name, Arnold Friend, and remove the letter “r”, separate the "an" and "old", we would get "AN OLD FRIEND" which in the bible usually means the devil. Arnolds car has also its own meaning and many interpretations. On the car there is a written phrase: "Man THE FLYING SAUCERS" which may mean something foreign and crazy. The cars numbers which are 331917, might be a biblical hint. For example, 33,19,17 means the book, chapter ,and verse in the Bible, which is not very surprising if you except the interpretation that Arnold Friend is Satan. If we look up all these numbers in the Bible we will find,
Where Are You Going, Where have You Been by Joyce Carol Oates is a tale of a naive young lass taking her first steps into the illusion of the teenage dream. For the regular viewer of the film Smooth Talk, one would not pick up on the elaborate history behind the movie. Dating back to the 1960’s, the written story sheds very little light on the true sadistic nature of the means and intentions of Arnold Friend. Going back even further, the written tale is based on Life Magazine's article “The Pied Piper of Tucson” the true story of a middle aged man who preys on adolescent girls, getting away with devious sexual acts and sometimes murdering said adolescents. Without this previous knowledge, both the story and the movie seem for the most part innocent, with only a tad of creepiness generated
The short story, “ Where are you going, Where have you been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, an award-winning author, is known for unmasking the evil within everything and presenting it to the world through a fictional story. In what is thought to be her most terrifying yet highly acclaimed short story, Oates references many fairy tales that help carve the short story into a realistic allegory. She models the short story after the real-life murder of a teenage girl by the American serial killer Charles Schmid also known as the “Pied Piper of Tuscon .” Knowing this information allows a greater sense of reality opposed to fiction because the events throughout the story are fairly similar to the tragic horror that took place on May 31, 1964. The story deals with the temptations and the coming of age of a teenage girl while challenging the perception of America during the 60’s. Oates references several fairy tales throughout the story to help guide the reader and give a sense of an allusion. There were three fairy tales that stood out the most in the story: Cinderella, the Beauty and the Beast, and Little Red Riding Hood.
Connie's character plays a big role in what ultimately happens to her. Connie is a vain girl that thinks the way you look is everything. She plays the stereotypical part for girls in today's society. She thinks that as long as you are pretty and dress a certain way then you are everything. This comes across when Oates writes "Connie thought that her mother preferred her to June because she was prettier" (980). By flaunting her looks she could easily give a guy like Arnold Friend perverted ideas about her. It could make them see her as easy, which he did.
In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, Oates wants to show a more intellectual and symbolic meaning in this short story. Oates has many symbolic archetypes throughout the short story along with an allegory. Oates uses these elements in her story by the selection of detail and word choice used. Oates does this because she wants to teach her audience a moral lesson.
Arnold Friend’s layers of deception. Connie’s blindness is the pretext of her loss of innocence
The mysterious Arnold Friend goes to Connie’s house. He tries to convince Connie to take a ride in his car. Most people will deny the offer, but seeing as though Connie is unruly, she is easily persuaded by Arnold . Arnold deceives Connie with his charm and ride. He takes her to a place where she does not know. We find that Mr. Friend is not so friendly, but a sick soul with a loose tongue. In addition to this I agree with author Christina Marsden Gills of “Short Story Criticism, vol.6” when she explains that:
Joyce Carol Oates' short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" written in the late sixties, reveals several explanations of its plot. The story revolves around a young girl being seduced, kidnapped, raped and then killed. The story is purposely vague and that may lead to different interpretations. Teenage sex is one way to look at it while drug use or the eerie thought that something supernatural may be happening may be another. The story combines elements of what everyone may have experienced as an adolescent mixed with the unexpected dangers of vanity, drugs, music and trust at an early age. Ultimately, it is up to the reader to choose what the real meaning of this story is. At one point or another one has encountered, either through personal experience or through observation, a teenager who believes that the world is plotting against them. The angst of older siblings, peer pressure set upon them by their friends, the need for individualism, and the false pretense that at fifteen years of age, they are grown are all factors which affect the main character in this story.
Caldwell, Tracy M. "Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?." Literary Contexts In Short Stories: Joyce Carol Oates's 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?' (2006): 1-8. Literary Reference Center. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
When Connie first meets Arnold, she doesn’t know who he is: he’s just a creepy guy in the parking lot. However, Arnold sees her as an adult woman who is ready to pursue a relationship with her because that is what her appearance says about her. In reality that’s all it is, her appearance and she is not ready for that type of relationship. So, when Arnold Friend came by and was persuading her to come with him saying, “Don’tcha wanta see what’s on the car? Don’tcha wanta go for a ride?” (Oates 375). This line is one of the many that he used to persuade girls to get into his car. Also, he is making all moves to get closer to kidnapping Connie. Connie did try to avoid him but she had false hopes. Although Connie seemed to be confused there are many girls like this that fall for someone’s charms even if they are sincere or not just because these girls seek for someone to appreciate them. Arnold Friend said. “But I promise it won’t last long and you’ll like me that way you get to like people you’re close to.” (Oates 383). These statements give Connie confidence to leave her house and go with him regardless if they just
The tragic situation of Connie relates to the real life chain of murders in Tucson, Arizona. Tom Quirk iterates that Oates seems to get her creative imagination from “real criminal and real crime”, the irony is the story of Connie is sadly all too familiar in society (Quirk 413). The characters of Eddie and Ellie Oscar are figures that are not particularly familiar to readers. The lack of dialogue from these characters tend to neglect their significance, however studying them may actually connect a few dots that Oates purposely leaves for the reader to wonder. The comparison of Eddie and Ellie inclines that they are actually the same person. From research into Ellie’s appearance and mysterious motivation to remain unnoticed by Connie hints at the notion that instead of young teenage boy named Eddie accompanying Connie at the restaurant, it was none other than Ellie disguising himself. Although some find it bizarre that Connie could not see Eddie/Ellie for who he was while spending hours with him, one must take into account that Connie was more into herself rather than the boy she was with. Along with Connie’s natural infatuation with herself, the drive-in restaurant presented distractions such as the bright lights and loud music which aided Eddie/Ellie. The main antagonist Arnold Friend makes various statements and questionable actions that support the theory that Ellie has already encountered Connie at some point in time, thus providing the explanation as to how he knew so much information about
Rubin attempts to convey the idea that Connie falls asleep in the sun and has a daydream in which her “…intense desire for total sexual experience runs headlong into her innate fear…” (58); and aspects of the story do seem dream like - for instance the way in which the boys in Connie’s daydreams “…dissolved into a single face…” (210), but the supposition that the entire episode is a dream does not ring true. There are many instances in which Connie perceives the frightening truth quite clearly; she is able to identify the many separate elements of Friend’s persona - “… that slippery friendly smile of his… [and] the singsong way he talked…” (214). But because of the lack of attachment with her own family, and her limited experience in relating deeply to others, “…all of these things did not come together” (214) and Connie is unable to recognize the real danger that Arnold Friend poses until it is too late.
“Any time we feel we need outer approval, it’s because we feel an inner lack of self-worth or self-acceptance” (Ghosain). Ghosain writes, who is an expert in sexual invitation and the art of sex appeal. Connie's lack of self-worth and intimacy give her that fire to be noticed. Her goal to make her crave that feeling of being wanted and adored. Connie’s mistrust in her parents, leave her with a contagious ability to frequently lie to others, more importantly her parents. “We lie because we have this craving for autonomy and independence” (Hank, Pellissier). Connie’s self-independence and mistrust in others, leads her into an endless black-hole that she struggles to overcome. The sexual appeal and hormonal drive that connie pocessess helps her deal with her only experiences, sequentially attracting Arnolds eye. “ She wore a pullover jersey blouse that looked one way when she at home and another way when she was away from home” (Oates). Every person wants to be heard whether it is from their friends or family. Connie struggles with her voice primarily focusing on her appearance. It is easy to mistake Connie for being sexually misleading ultimately leading to the altercation with Arnold, but do not mistake immaturity and loneliness for sexual desires and
Arnold Friend imposes a devilish and menacing pressure upon Connie, who ultimate gives in, like a maiden entranced by a vampire's gaze. His appearance, sayings, and doing all combine to form a terrifying character that seems both reasonable and unlikely at the same time. There are people like Arnold Friend out there, not as incoherently assembled, and still he seems an extraordinary case of stalker. A small and even insignificant aside about his name, Arnold Friend, is that with the R's his name would read A'nold F'iend, or "An Old Fiend" i.e. the devil. But, regardless, Arnold Friend is very precisely portrayed as a corrupter of youths and a deflowerer of virgins. Without his useless sweet-nothings or his strange balance problem, he would come across less dangerous and alluring.
Oates, Joyce C. "Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?" Compact Literature. By Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 8th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2013. 505-16. Print.
Connie’s clothes and infatuation with her own beauty symbolize her lack of maturity or knowing her true self, which in the end enables her to be manipulated by Arnold Friend. Connie was enamored with her own beauty; in the beginning of the story Oates states that Connie “knew