American society with topics such as rape, child abuse and murder, Joyce Carol Oates’s novels have been able to capture the sometimes cruel reality of American life in an unorthodox way. Joyce Carol Oates was born on June 16th, 1938, in Lockport, New York. Raised on her parent’s farm in a rural area that had been hit by the Great Depression, she attended the same one-room school house as her mother. As a young child, Oates developed a love of literature and writing well beyond her years. She was
Author Joyce Carol Oates, who is considered one of the Great American authors, wrote during the Contemporary period. Particularly, in her works titled “The Suicide” and “Occult” written in 1978 and 1975 we can see evidence of the characteristics, themes and style identified with the Anti War movement which was extant in American letters between 1970 and 1973. As a representative of such a movement, Joyce Carol Oates then remains one of the most identifiable and iconic writers of her time. Born on
There are many titles that been over looked. The kind of title that belong to books that can give you a better perspective about lif. The book I choose to do is, The Sacrifice by Joyce Carol Oates. “There must be Sacrifice in revolution. At any time, any one of us might be chosen.” (Page 216) This is the quote that told me what this book is all about. Sacrifice is giving up something for something or someone else. Throughout the book everyone gave up something, things like faith, truth, dignity,
Neglect and Decay in Joyce Carol Oates' "Haunted" “Things in the world even those built by man are so quiet left to themselves…” People futilely fight the decay of life and relationships in an attempt to find beauty and goodness in the world. Joyce Carol Oates masterfully illustrates this theme in her short story “Haunted.” Oates reveals the protagonist Melissa’s desperate struggle with looming forces like the physical environment, her twisted relationship with her best friend, and even the
Where Is Here essay The word infinity is used differently in the story Where is Here, by Joyce Carol Oates, then many other concepts we might think it’s used for. Oates uses it in a unique way, hinting that the characters, the drawing, and the house are representing infinity. Heading straight into the story, the strange man that comes into this family’s life on a chilling November night, does more than just look around at the ancient house he use to live in. As the mother tries to pry on
Back Ground: Joyce Carol Oates was a true change in American Literature. She associated many novels that revealed political stances along with physical and psychological pain. (1) Joyce grew up in a rough neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan. It was not uncommon for her to behold mistreatment, abuse, and gang violence; especially towards women. Detroit was a major political city were women’s rights were being fought. (2) Physical brawls broke out all over the city due to the uprising of women who
In Joyce Carol Oates’ short story, “…& Answers” a woman, who is mentally ill, is visiting with a psychiatrist to discuss an accident that happened involving the death of her daughter. The mother and daughter were supposed to be going to the park to play, but there have been some older men hanging around the park, so the mother didn’t feel comfortable bringing her daughter there to play. Instead they went for a ride to show the little girl how beautiful the north area of the state was this time of
The story “Where is Here?” by Joyce Carol Oates is a story that addresses many heavy topics. Some of those topics are: abuse and violence, how we treat our family when no one is watching, and how hospitable people truly are to strangers. Through careful analysis of this multilayered story, we can uncover some hidden gems. Who is the stranger in the story, How does violence play into the connections the stranger makes, and In what sense is the stranger dead? By asking ourselves questions such as
Attempts to Connect in Shopping Although Shopping, written by Joyce Carol Oates, is fiction, the story portrays a relationship that represents many parents and children have in real life. The child is growing up and wants to spread her wings. However, the parent usually does not want to let go. Arguments and the awkward silences are frequent. The seemingly useless attempts to connect with the son or daughter are also frequent. Yet, what the child does not realize is that no matter how old
The most dangerous foe can be right in front of you, right next to you, possibly someone or something very close to you, without you even knowing. “Where are you going? Where have you been?” By Joyce Carol Oates is set in the 1960’s in a small rural town. Connie is the main character who obsesses over all the boys and they return the favor. She is very self-centered and does nothing to help out her family. When she’s not off chasing boys she’s at home thinking about all the boys until one of them
Joyce Carol Oates is a writer who takes many risks. Her writing style varies with each story and she is constantly trying to find new ways to make her stories more interesting. In her novel What I Lived For she writes from a 3rd person perspective. This book was written in the 1990s and it was unusual that a female writer wrote from a man’s point of view. Oates wrote this book to be different and to prove her skills as a writer. She has an extensive amount of characterization for the main character
seems as though Joyce Carol Oates clearly understands the effects of trauma since she writes about several harsh and eerie realities in her “tales of mystery and suspense” from her collection entitled Give Me Your Heart that visibly distinguish her from other writers. In this collection, Oates leaves readers' minds in turmoil and suspense as she releases her emotions by turning what we might think is the norm into something far more insane—perhaps far beyond our understanding. Oates has an obsessive and
This story is not told once ,but twice with Anton Chekhov 's 1899 original as well as Joyce Carol Oates ' version of "The Lady with the Pet Dog" . Each deal with the love lives and the unhappiness of two individuals, the adulterous love between them as well as the actions and decisions made by these adulterers.The characters in both stories knew it was wrong, but gave reasons for their unfaithfulness. In both stories the characters’ feelings about their spouse, infidelity, and their relationship
Identity is the foundation of your character, which can be shaped and molded by the values and beliefs of society. Identity can be perceived as characteristics that one recognizes that are unique to him or her. Identity is like your fingerprint, no two in the world are the same. The fingerprints might look like the same and someone might try to replicate them, but the truth is they are only yours. Identity builds a distinct disposition, which can be influenced by external social perceptions and internal
In the story of “Life after High School” by Joyce Carol Oates, one of the main characters Zachary has a hard time with his love for Sunny. This leads to his death. Zach later shows the reader just how much he loves Sunny by asking her to marry him. Joyce Carol Oates introduces themes of growing up and transition from youth to adulthood and feeling the need to conform to other people to her short story “Life after High School” through a typical plot line about the love story of Zachary and Sunny.
Woven into the twisted short story by Joyce Carol Oates “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” stands a figure of demonic proportions; a man whose mere presence develops into an ominous fear, bringing with him a thickness of anxiety and an eerie sense of premature death. While her parents are away on a Sunday afternoon, Connie is approached by a strange man named Arnold Friend who is determined to seduce her and steal her away. Rather than use force, Arnold Friend insinuates his way into Connie’s
Adultery, even in a marriage without love, can have a dramatic effect on the people involved. For the adulterous partner, the feelings of guilt and anxiety can often lead to overwhelming confusion. The short story "The Lady with the Pet Dog" by Oates, shows how the act of cheating creates confusion in the mind of the main character thorough use of an unchronological structure, and unusual character development. First, the structure of the story reflects Anna's state of mind. The events in the
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been by Joyce Carol Oates Is Arnold Friend the Devil in disguise in Joyce Carol Oates' short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" If one were to look at the facts surrounding the actual event this story was based on, any assumption that "Friend" was anything but a man would be thrown out due to logic. However, if one were to look at the story alone, he could concede that Friend is indeed the Devil or at least the Devil's angel. First, there
Joyce Carol Oates' Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Joyce Carol Oates was born in 1938 in Lockport, New York. She started writing very young and that the age of fifteen she submitted her first novel, but it was rejected for being 'too dark';. This style of writing is common on many of her works including 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'; Oates graduated from Syracuse University and then went on to get her master's degree from the University of Wisconsin. Oates 'turned much
Joyce Carol Oates’ short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” can be considered a mixture between modern fairy-tale and traditional fairy-tale. Its theme, tone and tragic ending can be compared to the classical fairy-tales of history while its details of a contemporary life are relevant in modern day fairy-tales. Many traditional fairy-tales are composed of dark, threatening themes that contain some sort of moral lesson and/or depict the ancient struggle between good and evil; such elements