Freaky Green Eyes by Joyce Carol Oates tells the petrifying story of an abusive situation and how a fourteen-year-old girl managed to stand up against the megalomaniac, that is her father. Oates begins the novel by introducing the main character, Franky, and the first appearance of her alter ego, Freaky Green Eyes. While not being an alter ego in the literal sense of the word, Freaky Green Eyes is seemingly Franky’s way of coping with her situation and being a personification of her confidence.
The story goes on to skip forward a year where Franky’s family, the Piersons, are introduced. It’s revealed that Franky’s dad is famous, she has a brother, Todd, a sister, Sam, and her mom, Krista, but she’s nowhere to be found. Reid, Franky’s father, goes on to explain how Krista is currently at an arts and crafts festival, while they’re at home celebrating another one of Reid’s new roles. This event is the cataclysm that sets everything in motion; as the night Krista arrives home, fighting ensues, leading to Franky’s doubt of
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Magill’s exact words were, “When we look at Oates’s fiction as a whole, we are struck by the way place, physical surroundings, and everyday personal details are made transparent” (Magill 1967). Magill goes on to explain how Oates’s writing focuses on details and the extremity of feelings. Which is particularly true to Freaky Green Eyes as is seen through the book being about abuse and the personification of Franky’s feelings. Magill states how Oates was a writer that forces readers to confront boundaries and seems to admire her writing for that reason. Magill finally states that her writing makes readers take on a new stance. As Magill states directly, “Oates forces us to confront ourselves at the boundaries of our known and comforting experiences” (Magill