Summary Of 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'

What truly identifies the “spirit” of an individual? Is it the way someone acts, their heart, their mind, or a more divine related explanation? Whither Thou Goest, by Richard Selzer, is a story about a woman named Hannah whose husband is killed and she decides to donate his organs. At the beginning of the story she believes that there is no issue with donating her husband’s organs because she is convinced that his body has no sentimental link to who he was. However, as the story goes on, she begins to rethink this and believes that the only way to move on with her life is to hear her husband’s heartbeat.

From the opening lines of, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” By Joyce Carol Oates, readers are immediately introduced to the character, as well as indicating the story is being told by a third person narrator. The use of a third person narrator lets readers know what connie is thinking allowing them to identify with her on a more personal level. The beginning of the story is also introduced in past tense. This could foreshadow the fact that something bad might have happened to connie, also suggesting the theme of violence.

Analysis of Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Joyce Carol Oates writes a gripping tale of terror about a young girl named Connie, who is faced with the dark and twisted hands of fate. Connie is a young teen, like many girls, self-absorbed and seeks self-value in the eyes of others. In her outings with friends, she comes across a man by the name of Arnold Friend. Oates lets the reader know immediately that there is something disturbing about this character.

The story Where Are You Going Where Have You Been has similar elements to fairy tales. However critic Christina Gills says that the reader is “ forced to consider the distinctions between fairy tale and seduction narrative” (Gillis Gale). There are differences between a fairy tale and this short story. Differences include that the girl gets the prince and the villain gets either killed or locked up, and they live happily ever after. In real life this doesn't happen, the so called villain can get away and come after it's victim again.

People desires can vary from person to person. Some want power, other want to find the love of their lives. However getting what want is difficult some never fully receive their deepest longings to meet themselves fell complete. Some desires have consequences, they can be small, however, others have terrible ramifications. In the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” written by Joyce Carol Oates is about the main character Connie and her life.

A convict and a grandmother are more alike than the common one may think. In Flannery O’Conner’s story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, demonstrates a similarity between the Misfit and the grandmother showing that good and evil are not the same in all individuals. O’Conner uses these certain characters to show the difference between good and bad, but in the end both the grandmother and the Misfit show a change in character. Flannery O’Conner’s catholic background has influenced all her stories. O’Conner’s family was one of the first to live in her hometown of Milledgeville, Georgia she also attended parochial school.

The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is written by Joyce Carol Oates and talks about a girl named Connie who is a carefree fifteen-year-old girl. When she is faced with Arnold Friend, a man who is trying to flirt with her and tries to get her to his car, she does not want it. Connie did not expect this encounter and becomes afraid when she comes across Arnold. Connie, who made “. .sure her own [looks were] all right” (988), wanted to become independent and do things that not every girl her age does, faces a male who wants her, but she does not want him, she begins to become afraid.

Home is where the heart is, but what if home is no longer safe? Joyce Carol Oates explores this concept in her 1966 short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”. On surface level, this story appears to discuss a rebellious young girl named Connie and her confrontation with Arnold Friend, a stalker. The ending leaves the reader to assume that Arnold Friend plans to sexually assault the young girl.

The Purpose of Psychopaths in “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” In the short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” a family of six meets their demise on the side of the road in Georgia after a gang of convicts lead by The Misfit brutally murders each member of the family. The story starts off in an upbeat tone and sets up a seemingly happy plot about a family going on vacation to Florida. However, the grandmother does not listen to her son about taking her cat on the trip and her disobedience ultimately leads to all of their deaths. The author changes the tone of the story at the end when the family gets into a wreck and faces a gruesome death by a crazed armed killer on the loose (O’Connor#).

Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” was published in 1955. O’Connor was also known for her novel The Violent Bear it Away (published in 1960) and her collection of short stories Everything That Rises Must Converge (published in 1964). The author often used violence and greed to show how she saw humanity that was without God. She liked to write about pettiness and vanity in the rural south, both of which play large parts in “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” This particular piece of work is about a family who goes on a road trip that takes an unexpected turn when they cross paths with a murderer and his henchmen.

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.

In the 1953 short story titled “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor, readers are given a glimpse of what the end of the story may look like through use of foreshadowing, symbolism, and other literary techniques. Although the story looks to be an innocent story of a family who travels to Florida for vacation at the start of it, readers soon find out that the story has a darker twist to it. This family trip turns violent and this gruesome ending can easily represent the violence taking place in America during the time this story was written by O’Connor and even today. The short story starts off with a family of six- parents, a grandmother, and three children-

“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.

A good person is someone who is compassionate and shows honesty and integrity, while an evil person is someone who does not care about the needs of others. In the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, the main character Connie encounters a mysterious man in the parking lot of a diner. He later shows up at her house, tells her to go for a ride in his car with him, and introduces himself as Arnold Friend. After Connie speaks to him for a while, she realizes that he is a threat. Oates uses Arnold Friend to convey evil through symbolism and figurative language.

Where are you going, Where have you been? by Joyce Carol Oates is a story about a teenage girl who wants to grow up too fast. It shows how the growing gap between a parent and their teenage child. The movie Smooth Talk shows a different but interesting perspective to Oates’s story. In this essay the similarities and differences between the movie and the story will be evaluated and explained to see if the movie is accurate to the stories main points.