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Analyse connie character in where are you going
Analyse connie character in where are you going
Analyse connie character in where are you going
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Abbie Zvejnieks
October 13, 2014 The word identity is defined as the set of personal and behavioral characteristics which define an individual. In written works, identity is closely related to a character’s relationship with other people and the ideas around them. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, the main character is a young, innocent teenager named Connie who struggles with maintaining an identity of her own. She possesses general characteristics of any teenager searching for his or her own identity such as disobeying her parents boundaries and having two personalities-one for home and one when she is with friends. Oates uses Connie’s person point of view, allusion to fairy tales, and the title to emphasize
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The reader goes through the process as Connie does from feelings of confusion to disturbed to fear. The story begins with Connie being a typical teenage girl, disobeying her parents instructions, and going to the drive-in to flirt with boys. This is an innocent action, and Connie is looking only for attention not anything sexual. “One night in mid-summer they came across, breathless with daring, and right away someone leaned out a car window and invited them over” (379). Connie does not realize how dangerous this could potentially be because she is just caught up in the idea of the being “where the older kids hung out” (379). She sees her identity as her physical attractiveness, so Connie uses these flirtatious nights to seek validation of this false identity. When Arnold Friend shows up at Connie’s house, she is confused but not yet scared. He is very charming at first and tells Connie she is cute. Connie thrives from this and “blushed a little....she couldn’t decide if she liked him or if he was just a jerk” (381). Here, Connie is still stuck in her naive teenager mentality that this is nothing dangerous, and Arnold Friend is harmless. As the story progresses, Connie begins to realize that Arnold is not actually a teenager at all. “She could see then he wasn’t a kid, he was much older--thirty, maybe more. At this knowledge her heart …show more content…
The story of “The Three Little Pigs” is used to depict Arnold as the villainous “Big Bad Wolf” and Connie as an innocent, helpless pig. Arnold says to Connie as she tries to lock the door, “But why lock it...I mean, anybody can break through a screen door and glass and wood and iron or anything else if he needs to, anybody as all and specially Arnold Friend” (386). This alludes to the wolf huffing and puffing and blowing down the house of the little pigs. Not only is this incredibly creepy, it shows how Arnold Friend is not a “friend” but an actual villain. Arnold refers to the house as a “cardboard box I can knock down anytime” (388). He wants to get inside this house and get to Connie just how the wolf wanted to get inside to get the pigs. In the presence of a villain, Connie’s flirtatious and naive personality becomes a fatal character trait. Because she doesn’t have a clear, centered identity, she is susceptible to Arnold’s manipulation and is led to her own
First of all, Connie was not happy at home. The story says that her father "was away at work most of the time," and "didn't bother talking much to them," so Connie didn't have love from him and had to find male attention somewhere else. Connie found her happiness in escaping with her friend to the drive-in restaurant and daydreaming about boys. But the happiness she found in both of these things had nothing to do with actual events; it is based on a fantasy. When she was out at the drive-in with a boy, her face gleamed "with the joy that had nothing to do with Eddie or even this place; it might have been the music." When she daydreamed about boys, they all "fell back and dissolved into a single face that was not even a face, but an idea, a feeling mixed up with the urgent pounding of the music..."
Joyce Carol Oates intrigues readers in her fictional piece “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by examining the life of a fifteen year old girl. She is beautiful, and her name is Connie. Oates lets the reader know that “everything about her [Connie] had two sides to it, one for home, and one for anywhere but home (27). When Connie goes out, she acts and dresses more mature than she probably should. However, when she is at home, she spends the majority of her time absorbed with daydreams “about the boys she met”(28). This daydreaming behavior is observable to the reader throughout the story. From theories about dreams, theories about subconscious thought, and the clues that Oates provides, the reader is lead to believe that Connie’s experience with Arnold Friend is a nightmare used to awaken her to the consequences that her behavior could result in.
In the short story, Connie is a young, naïve, sassy, little girl who hates her mom and sister. According to Oates, “Connie wished her mother was dead” (324). Connie enjoys going out with her friends and going to a drive-in restaurant where the older kids hang out. Connie is innocent, but thinks about love and sex. She is desperate to appeal to boys and succeeds at it when a boy with shaggy black hair says to her, “Gonna get you, baby” (325). Her encounter with this boy will change her life forever, because he is the antagonist that influences Connie’s loss of innocence. On a Sunday afternoon, the boy, Arnold Friend, visits Connie and asks her to come for a ride, which she declines. But, Arnold Friend won’t take “no” for an answer and threatens to go in the house. For example when Connie says she will call the cops, Arnold says “Soon as you touch the phone I don’t need to keep my promise and come inside”
A mysterious car pulled into Connie’s driveway and the driver proceeds to get out of his vehicle, showing that he belonged there, not recognizing the car Connie opens the door to her house and leans out it. “She went into the kitchen and approached the door slowly, then hung out the screen door,” (2). Without even knowing who or why this person has come to her house, Connie opens her door and leans out to possible talk to the driver, who would turn out to be Arnold Friend and wants to take her on a “date”. Connie’s ignorance towards Arnold and his arrival almost immediately puts her in a vulnerable state without her even realizing it, this vulnerability would be the first event to foreshadow Connie’s inevitable kidnapping. After greeting and talking to Arnold for a little, he proceeds to ask Connie if she wants to go for a ride in his car. Instead of turning down the offer since she barely, if at all, knew Arnold, Connie somewhat debates it. “Connie smirked and let her hair fall loose over her shoulder,” (3). Though she lacks any information about Arnold, Connie kind of debates taking up his offer to go for a ride, further letting her ignorance towards the entire situation usher her into an even more vulnerable
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.
”Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?” is a short story written by Joyce Carol Oates, which explores the life of a teenage girl named Connie. One of the issues this story divulges is the various stresses of adolescence. Connie, like so many others, is pressured to conform according to different social pressures, which displays the lack of respect female adolescents face. The music culture, young men, and family infringe upon young female minds to persuade them to look or act in certain ways, showing a disrespect for these girls. While some perhaps intend their influence for good, when put into practice, the outcome often has a negative effect. Moreover, this can lead young women to confusion and a lack of self-respect, which proves
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
During the teenage years they no longer want to be labeled the “child; matter of fact, they have a strong desire to rebel against the family norms and move quickly into adulthood. This transition and want for freedom can be a very powerful and frightening thing as there are evils in this world that cannot be explained. Most parents try to understand and give their teens certain freedoms, but at what expense? Joyce Oates gives us a chilly story about a teenager that wanted and craved this freedom of adulthood called “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”. This is a haunting story of a young girl by the name of Connie who gives us a glimpse of teenager transitioning from childhood with the need for freedom and the consequences of her actions. Connie is described as a very attractive girl who did not like her role in the family unit. She was the daughter who could not compare to her older sister and she felt her Mom showed favoritism towards her sister. Connie is your average teen who loves music, going out with friends, and she likes the attention she receives from boys. During this time, Connie is also growing into her sexuality and is obsessing with her looks as she wants and likes to be noticed by the opposite sex. Her sexual persona and need to be free will be what is fatal to her character’s life and well-being.
Oates takes us to a journey of rebellion as the protagonist sorts through self-created illusion in order to come to terms with her own sexual inexperience. Connie’s desires for attention from the opposite sex, her vanity and immaturity blind her to think of the real intentions of guys, in this case Arnold Friend. A character that many critics argue is real, yet, others argue it was created by Connie’s mind.
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.
This is especially true when someone like Arnold Friend is out to get us. We see this allegory of Arnold friend in everyday life. Everyday Satan tries to temp and deceive anyone he can get. We can either blindly give into it like Connie or we can be alert. The archetypes and allegories described by word choice and details give us an incredible reminder to stay alert. In the short story review from “the sitting bee” it is explained, “Probably the most obvious sign of conflict is the struggle Connie encounters with Arnold.” The sad thing is she eventually gives in without thinking. Her vision went from hazy to clear to hazy again. She was helpless throughout the entire
At first, the reader might think that this short story is about a stereotypical teenage girl but there are a few symbols that hint at a more gothic, or grotesque nature. For example, after the main antagonist, Arnold Friend, shows up at Connie’s home unannounced and uninvited, he gives her a secret code. The passage states, “He read off the numbers 33, 19, 17 and raised his eyebrows at her to see what she thought of that, but she didn’t think much of it” (Oates 328). But why was this code given? Arnold was unsuccessful with his hidden innuendo to Connie. If the numbers that were given are added up they make the number 69. This is a sexual act, so therefore Arnold Friend is dropping hints of wanting to perform sexual acts with Connie. With her consent, or without it. The antagonist’s name and physical characteristics can be seen as a hidden message of danger. "Arnold Friend", if one were to take out the “R's”, the reader is left with is "An Old Fiend". This is a reference to the
In her famous short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” Joyce Carol Oates shows the transition from childhood to adulthood through her character Connie. Each person experiences this transition in their own way and time. For some it is leaving home for the first time to go to college, for others it might be having to step up to a leadership position. No matter what, this transition affects everyone; it just happens to everyone differently. Oates describes Connie's unfortunate coming of age in a much more violent and unexpected way than the typical coming of age story for a fifteen year old girl.
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
In Joyce Carol Oates's short story, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" the protagonist introduced is Connie, who is an interesting and strong character. Just like every other teenager, she is searching for a purpose and trying to find her place in society. Although Connie seems to be an incredibly self absorbed teenage girl, there is a part of her personality that is different than the rest. She lives a double life, having one personality around her house, with her family, and the other when she is hanging out with friends in public. Due to this double personality, the reader can't help but become intrigued and question which girl she truly is.