ipl-logo

Symbolism In 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been'

818 Words4 Pages

There are many dangerous things in this world, and most people would never recognize them. Anyone can be dangerous, yet they would look so normal to the world. “Where are you Going, Where Have you Been” shows that exact thing. There are many threatening figures in the short story, and most people do not recognize them until they are right in their face. The symbols are the only thing that would show the danger’s true self. In the story “Where are you Going, Where Have you Been,” symbolism is one of the main literary elements used to reveal the ugly in the word. As Connie is an innocent child, she does not recognize all of the dangers that are in the world. There are points in the story where Connie does not comprehend the threats that are all around her. “Connie said she would meet her at eleven, across the way. "I just hate to leave her like that," Connie said earnestly, but the boy said that she wouldn't be alone for long.” (Carol Oates …show more content…

After the night Connie went out with her friends, and the night that Arnold Friend called after Connie, he showed up unexpected at Connie’s house. “Connie blushed a little, because the glasses made it impossible for her to see just what this boy was looking at. She couldn't decide if she liked him or if he was just a jerk, and so she dawdled in the doorway and wouldn't come down or go back inside.” (Carol Oates 3). Connie was still blind to how unsafe Arnold Friend was that she was blushing to little things that he would say to her, and that made Arnold even more infatuated with her. Arnold said, “You're cute.", and Connie would blushed and fidgeted with her fingers. "Don'tcha wanta see what's on the car? Don'tcha wanta go for a ride?" (Carol Oates 3). Arnold tried to convince Connie to go with him. He wanted to take her away, and that is where Connie finally realized of the terrible predicament that she was

Show More
Related
807 Words | 4 Pages

Finally, Oates uses irony when Connie tells Arnold that he is "crazy"(72) and he responds by saying that she is the one who is "crazy"(72). This is ironic because it is clear to the reader that Arnold is the one who is truly unstable. Overall, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" is a work of fiction that employs several different rhetorical devices to create a haunting

Read More
909 Words | 4 Pages

Connie’s parents are made up of a not so caring father and a judgmental mother: “Their father was away at work most of the time and when he came home he wanted supper and he read the newspaper at supper and after supper he went to bed. He didn't bother talking much to them, but around his bent head Connie's mother kept picking at her until Connie wished her mother was dead and she herself was dead and it was all over.” (Oates 1). Here the author explains the father's actions when he arrives home. Connie’s father does not pay attention to her nor her sister, June.

Read More
1557 Words | 7 Pages

According to McCabe and Wauchope “The most common type of relationship was that of a stranger, with 55/130 or 42% of rapist selecting a stranger as their victim” (239). While some psychopathic serial rapists may pick someone close to them or someone they know, that is not the case with Arnold Friend. In Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Oates uses Arnold Friend’s stalker tendencies, use of Connie’s weaknesses, and deceiving looks to allow us to view Friend as a psychopathic serial rapist who has committed similar prior crimes. Throughout the story, Connie wants to grow up so quickly and have the attention that she thinks she wants but in reality it is nothing she could ever imagine and by doing this Oates shows

Read More
995 Words | 4 Pages

Connie was enjoying her summer vacation going out with her friends, hanging around her house listening to music, and dreaming about the boys she met. She never suspected that she was being stalked until it was too late. In Joyce Oates story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” Connie unknowingly meets the man who had been stalking her, Arnold Friend, and her carefree summer comes to an end.(or is taken away by the devil himself.) One beautiful warm Sunday afternoon,

Read More
1325 Words | 6 Pages

Oates explains how Connie is always “dreaming about the boys she had met” and all the boys “dissolved into a single face…” which portrays her creating the perfect boy (Oates 2). Arnold knows Connie is desperate for love and he is willing to give it to her if she comes with him. Clifford J Kurkowski says in his article that Connie is “joining someone who… cares about her more than either of her parents or her sister has” which displays the isolation and neglect Connie had in her life (Kurkowski 5). Clearly, Arnold was the not the only one who had made Connie a victim. Her parents have prevented Connie from ever having that sense of care in her life and was always insulted and compared.

Read More
1033 Words | 5 Pages

When authors write fictional pieces they have the creativity to embody many types of figurative language into their writing. Fictional authors use different types of figurative language including irony, similes, personification, and foreshadowing to make it easier for readers to dig deeper into the actual meaning of the piece. These rhetorical devices are seen in Joyce Oates, Ray Bradbury, and Kate Chopins’ short stories. The short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”

Read More
890 Words | 4 Pages

At first glance, we are made to believe that Connie is a static character through her infuriating naivety and cliché persona. When we delve into the story we see the altruistic and sincere characteristics, which

Read More
817 Words | 4 Pages

In Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, Connie is a fifteen-year-old girl, who does not necessarily get along with her family. During the week, she often times goes to a shopping plaza with some of her friends. However, they sneak across the highway to go to a popular diner where the older crowd hangs out at. At home, Connie is often times arguing with her family. One day her family is invited to her aunt's barbecue but Connie refuses to go.

Read More
1203 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout the story, there are many instances: the illogical time and settings, the similarity between Arnold and Connie and the unrealistic events show that the meeting between Connie and Arnold Friend is a dream. The dream is also a preparation for Connie before she steps onto the stage of being an adult. Connie’s dream begins when she refuses to go to her aunt’s house for barbecue party. She stays home, and under the warmness of the sun, she begins her day dreaming about love and the boy she has met the night before. In the beginning, the author writes “Connie sat with her eyes closed in the sun…”

Read More
984 Words | 4 Pages

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” is about a teenager named Connie who is trying to come to terms with her transformation from childhood to adulthood. Through this process, Connie attempts to act older than she is an tries to gain the attention of boys. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” Joyce Oates portrays Connie as obsessed with men to symbolize how one’s obsession and narcissistic attitude can cause danger to seem surreal. In the short story, Carol Oates describes Connie as having two different personalities, one being a narcissistic attitude.

Read More
854 Words | 4 Pages

He mysteriously knows where Connie lives and invites himself to drive over to her house. Arnold assumes Connie’s friendship by convincing her that he knows everything and everybody, “I know your name and all about you” (Oates 201) when she never told him her name in the first place. He knew her friends, their names as well as what she did the night before. He also knew exactly where Connie’s family was, at a BBQ at Connie’s aunt Tille’s.

Read More
804 Words | 4 Pages

In her short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", Joyce Carol Oates utilizes a variety of literary devices to strengthen the story in its entirety. This short story is essentially about a 16-year-old girl named Connie and the conflict between her desire to be mature and her desire to remain an adolescent. Throughout the story, the audience sees this conflict through her words in addition to through her behavior. The audience is also introduced to Arnold Friend, a rather peculiar man, who essentially kidnaps her. This short story by Joyce Carol Oates functions and is additionally meaningful because of her usage of literary devices.

Read More
834 Words | 4 Pages

Symbolism is one of the most important properties a story can have. It's often used to develop a character or a theme throughout the story that is being told. Symbolism in literature is best described by as the use of symbols and objects to signify ideas and qualities by giving them a symbolic meanings that are very different from their literal sense. The short stories "Where are you going, Where have you been?" and "The Yellow Wallpaper" have very obvious examples of symbolism.

Read More
700 Words | 3 Pages

In the coming of age story “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?” Joyce Carol Oates uses symbolism, conflict, and the third person to foreshadow fifteen-year-old Connie’s unfortunate, yet untimely fate. While one may think that the conflict stems from Connie’s promiscuity, it is clear to see her promiscuity is only a result to a much bigger conflict, her mother’s constant nagging and disapproval, alongside the lack of attention from her father. the author paints a vivid picture of what happens when a fifteen-year-old girl such as Connie goes elsewhere to find to find the love, attention, and approval that she lacks at home. All which is vital for her growth and wellbeing as a person.

Read More
657 Words | 3 Pages

The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates can be interpreted in a multitude of ways due to its ambiguity. A psychological lens, however, provides the most accurate viewpoint for analyzing the story as it clarifies certain obscure scenes and actions of Connie. One psychological issue of Connie that is easily inferred from the beginning of the story is her insecurity about her looks. Connie constantly worries about the way that she looks and takes any opportunity to do so, “craning her neck to glance into mirrors or checking other people's faces to make sure her own was all right” (1).

Read More

More about Symbolism In 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been'

Related Topics

Open Document