Connie In Joyce Carol Oates's The Metamorphosis

The beginning of the story, as indicated by Oates, the reader is not only introduced to Connie, but her disingenuous ways as well. Connie, like many typical teenage girls works hard to portray herself as an experienced knowledgeable woman. Consequently, she takes pride in her looks in which she had a, “…habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors, or checking other people’s faces to make sure her own was all right.” (p. 452)

Beauty and The Beast VS. Metamorphosis Animals in Literature & Film Dr. Eichenlaub Kelly Xiao 1/31 Compare to the death of Gregor Samsa in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, the fairy tale like Beauty and The Beast has always have a positive and delighted ending. But the Metamorphosis has more abnormal transformation in both physical and psychological ways that beyond people’s expectation. Gregor woke up and found himself transformed into a gigantic insect in his bed.

Starting right off the bat, Joyce Carol Oates describes Connie as being a fifteen year old with”a quick, nervous habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors or checking other people’s faces to make sure her own was all alright” (316) bringing attention to the amount of insecurity and need for reassurance immersed within Connie. This statement continues although this time describing her mother as someone who “noticed everything and knew everything and who hadn’t much reason to look at her own face” (316) bringing into comparison the difference between Connie and her mother, a child and a mother, of childhood and of adulthood. From Connie’s perspective her mother is always on her back because of a theory that her family dislikes her. “Why don’t you keep your room clean like your sister? How’ve

To begin with, in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, the protagonist Connie, is a young pretty girl who is seen as gentle and innocent. She lives a neglected life with her mother always nagging, saying “Why don’t you keep your room clean like your sister? How’ve you got your hair fixed--- what the hell stinks?

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.

In the story it states, “Connies mother kept picking at her until Connie wished her mother was dead” which shows how women tend to think men will make them feel better when really the man is using that power to his advantage. A women’s insecurities can cause them to seek attention from the wrong people which she does with Arnold Friend by communicating with him when she should’ve walked away when she had the chance. In the story it states,”She drew her shoulders up and sucked in her breath with the pleasure of being alive” which shows how connie is enjoying life for all the right reasons. Pedphiles look for vunerable girls like Connie so it is easier to take advantage of them. Connie looks for attention and when she gets it from the wrong person like Arnold Friend, she realizes she had made a mistake.

It is no secret that most teenage girls desire attention especially that of an older guy, which is something Arnold Friend seeks to take advantage of. While Connie is skeptical of Arnold’s intent, his sense of familiarity draws her to him and he is able to persuade her to let her guard down. Oates conveys this when she writes, “Connie liked the way he was dressed, which was the way all of them dressed…” (4) Another example of how Oates indicates that Arnold’s interest in Connie excites her is when she writes how Connie “remembered him even better…and her cheeks warmed…--how she must have looked to him. And he had remembered her.” (4) At first, Arnold tries to charm Connie in an attempt to get her to leave with him, but she reluctantly declines the invitation.

The relationship between the two was so bad that Connie had homicidal and suicidal thoughts, “Connie wished her mother were dead and she herself were dead and it would all be over. “(86) Some of the harassment from the mother seemed to come from jealousy. Oates shares some insight into the mother’s past and says she was pretty at one point in time “but now her looks were gone and that was why she was always after Connie. ”(85) Her relationship with her father wasn’t much better. In fact, Oates tells us that he didn’t give much thought to anyone in the family because “he didn’t bother talking much to them.”

Overall, it is clear that Connie has three major psychological issues that caused her to make the decision to leave with Arnold Friend: insecurity, low self-esteem, and fear of relationships. While readers may not know where Arnold is taking Connie, they can infer the psychological problems from where she has been that led her to make the decision that she

Connie is a fifteen-year-old who is trying to make the best of her life by seeking attention from others. Having the attention, she wants makes her feel superior, and make her feel like no one can tear down her ego. The only one trying to tear down her ego is her mother who wants her to be like her older sister June who is the opposite of Connie. She is mature and even helps the family out. For Connie to be taught a lesson of her conceded qualities, she encounters meet Arnold.

She does not have the freedom that Connie enjoys. Connie and her mother are always arguing with each other. Connie has the opportunity to get an education, a career, and control when she has a baby. These are all oppurtunities that her mother did not have

Transforming and Romanticizing a Storyline The Metamorphosis, a novella written by Franz Kafka, attracted the attention of many of its readers due to the writing framework and shocking concepts. The story depicts a man named Gregor Samsa who has befallen the fate of a cockroach- literally. After being transformed into a large bug, Gregor goes through the struggles of misunderstanding, neglect, and loss of his family relationships.

Connie: The Victim To A Demon The “heroine” of the short story Where Are You Going Where Have You Been written by Joyce Carol Oates has been interpreted in many different ways by many different authors across the globe. They all have their own opinions on why Connie had left her home and walked into the arms of Arnold Friend. Larry Rain makes the argument that Connie was a noble heroine that “chooses the side with the devil [to save her family]” (Rain Gale).

Like many teenagers in the era Connie feels as though she only receives superficial love from her family

Franz Kafka is a German novelist who wrote “The Metamorphosis.” In the story, he uses a third person point of view narrative. The novel uses absurdum, which exaggerates and dramatize the absurdity of modern life. The protagonist, Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, struggles with an external factor of transforming into an insect like creature. The transformation was not under his control and now struggles with a new identity.