Character Analysis: Joyce Carol Oates

Another character is Connie’s mother. Connie and her mother argue and bicker on a regular basis. She seems to be constantly getting after Connie "Stop gawking at yourself, who are you? You think you’re so pretty?” (Oates 308). Suggesting that she envies Connie because she is young and beautiful. She too was beautiful once in her own way, but as the years passed so did her beauty. Despite their differences Connie loves her mother and in the end she screams and cries out for her when she is attacked by Arnold. The final character is June. June is the opposite of Connie. She is a twenty four year old plain Jane, who is overweight, is a secretary at the local high school, and who still lives at home with mom and dad. Her mother and Aunt constantly

Such as, in the first quote “The place you came from ain’t there any more” (Oates 320). Meaning in reference to Connie, that she grew up in a family with both parents, and has an older sister June who she secretly looks up to, she is blessed to have friends that she loves to hang out with. She also has the warmth of her home that provides security and protection, which holds her childhood memories of her playing with her friends and neighbors. This is where she blossomed into a beautiful young girl with aspirations of pursuing what the future has in store for her. “and where you had in mind to go is cancelled out” (Oates 320). Meaning, the many goals she will set for herself and her dreams of becoming a woman, graduating from high school, attending her high school prom, perhaps becoming the next prom queen and marrying her high school sweetheart. To be able to spread her wings and venture into the world to tackle obstacles and turn them into triumphs. Where she can one day become a mother and raise a family of her own, providing security and shelter for her children just as her parents did for her. All of this has been stripped away from

Suggesting that Arnold will simulate a safety blanket around Connie as a means of providing protection and security. But in reality his arms around her masquerades a web of deception. Once she is trapped in his web she will not be able to escape. Connie will remain helplessly stuck to Arnold’s grip where she will establish a permanent dependence on him. “and I’ll show you what love is like, what it does” (Oates 320). It is to say, that Arnold will take away everything and everyone Connie knows and loves. He will show her how ungrateful she has been to her family who loves her unconditionally. The way she takes advantage of her mother who she fights with constantly wishing her dead. Connie will then realize love is not what she believed it was, but what she has now lost. One does not know what they have until it is