Apart from these overall features, it is also important to look at the figures of speech employed by the author, which add to the language of the short story. Arnold FiendOates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”: Arnold FiendIn Joyce Carol critics argue whether the character of Arnold Friend, clearly the story’santagonist, represents Satan in the story. Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?. GradeSaver, 3 August 2015 Web.

In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” it is notable that men drive and women are passengers.

The readers are first introduced to the music when Connie goes out with her friends, she describes the music as, “ always in the background, like music at a church service; it was something to depend upon.” The readers get an understanding on how important music is from this quote; this understanding only deepens when it is stated that, “Connie paid close attention herself, bathed in a glow of slow-pulsed joy that seemed to rise mysteriously out of the music itself and lay languidly about the airless little room, breathed in and breathed out with each gentle rise and fall of her chest.” For Connie music isn’t just an emotional experience but also a sexual experience; this increases her interest in Arnold when he rides up to house listening to the same music she had previously heard. and how they contribute to the plot of the book. Written next to a dent in the car were the words, “Done by crazy woman driver”, this brings up the fact that the short story only talks about men driving. ( Log Out /  Teksten herover er et uddrag fra webbogen. Looks good, I liked how you freaked up the individual subjects and attacked them by themselves.

Very well organized and nicely written analysis. And like its owner’s disguise, the car’s camouflage is imperfect, alerting Connie that something is amiss. many different literary devices are utilized to drive the meaning of the story, one of the strongest being the use of symbols; while using symbols to build metaphors and allusions, Oates creates a text that is interesting and impactful to the generic reader.

(p. 171, ll. "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" Summary and Analysis. Summary, Read the Study Guide for Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?…, Women's Evolving Role in "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? The outdated quotes, written on the car in black, used to be hip, and reveals how out of touch Arnold truly is. (p. 165, ll. Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

As the narrative continues Connie becomes increasingly lightheaded until she finally collapses by the phone, emotionally broken.

The first wave hits her when she notices that both he and Ellie Oscar are much older, likely in their thirties and forties. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Arnold takes on a very superficial exterior, just like the car. Neal Adolph Akatsuka ed. Key Symbols in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

These tales serve as a reminder that all, even the young, must die and explores the romantic appeal of death. In American culture and literature the car has long been a symbol of freedom and independence. 5/7. The strong symbolism throughout Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? The use of descriptive words creates overall images related to sight, sound, movement, which we call imagery in literary texts. Although the house is meant to physically protect her, Arnold attacks Connie at a psychological … 34-38). Not affiliated with Harvard College. In American culture and literature the car has long been a symbol of freedom and independence. Besides from being the stereotypical teenage coping tool, music played a huge role in Connie’s emotions and impulses in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?. Oates uses these spells of dizziness to communicate Connie’s confusion and terror as a seemingly innocent situation spirals into something much more sinister. Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Previous section Motifs Popular pages: Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

The color of Arnold’s car is a bright gold, a very ‘flashy’ color, and he also stated that the gold paint was new, covering up old paint; this tells the reader something about Arnold. The author mixes narrative and descriptive passages with dialogue, making the story more dynamic. Arnold Friend’s car was a very cryptic but important symbol in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?-easily missed by readers- the car gives us an important insight to Arnold’s facade. Like Arnold Friend, the car is in disguise: it is painted gold and covered with teenaged slogans. What habit(s) does Connie have? allows readers to properly digest the author’s main themes in a way that not only keeps the story entertaining but also creates a lasting impression that resonates with the reader. The story’s major action occurs in and around the doorway of Connie’s home: first she stands tentatively on the porch steps, then she retreats back inside when Arnold Friend becomes increasingly aggressive, yet she remains by the door, reticent to move further into the house. In Joyce Carol Oates’s short story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. In the story, the author also inserts various symbolical elements meant to further contribute to its themes and messages.

The Question and Answer section for Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Copyright © 1999 - 2020 GradeSaver LLC. Connie listens to pop songs in a “sacred” (2) burger joint and experiences a kind of religious ecstasy lying by her radio; Oates describes the girl as “bathed in the glow of a slow-pulsed joy that seemed to rise mysteriously out of the music itself” (3). Instant downloads of all 1364 LitChart PDFs (including Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?). and "The Story of an Hour", Joyce Carol Oates and Sowing Wild Oats: Context for "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” can be interpreted as a modern version of these allegories; indeed the story’s initial title was “Death and the Maiden.” Death, here played by Arnold Friend, seduces Connie, a contemporary maiden, first through charm and then, when that fails, through violence. Although the house is meant to physically protect her, Arnold attacks Connie at a psychological level by playing with her mind and issuing threats until he eventually wins and Connie willingly exit her house.

study guide contains a biography of Joyce Carol Oates, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis of the short story Where are You Going, Where Have You Been.

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This supports the idea that Connie is incapable of ‘driving’- or providing- for herself; which overall ties into the main theme of female empowerment while still coming to age.

Ultimately her home, like her family, cannot protect her from the outside threat of Arnold Friend, who notably cannot actually physically intrude into the home sphere, only seduce Connie away from it. The ideas on symbolism are well thought out and concise. The second wave comes when she tells the pair to leave but they refuse, revealing their less than benevolent intentions. Still, overall, it is not hard to understand the plot. The car represents freedom and independence, something Connie does not have as a developing woman. ", A Fiend in Disguise in Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, View Wikipedia Entries for Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?…. Negative Contemporary Issues Stemming from Cold War Fiction, Annotated Bibliography for Cold War Literature in a Postmodernist World, A Collection of Short Stories and Poems and Everything in Between, Cold War Literature in a Postmodernist World. Connie’s home is a symbol of weakness in a dangerous world. Imagery contributes to helping the reader imagine the way characters act or look like, or the setting. Arnold takes on a very superficial exterior, just like the car. This “perpetual music” is described in mystical, almost religious terms. Once Arnold’s true, violent nature comes through, the car becomes a symbol of all that is dark and ominous about his character.

As an instrument of control, his car stands as a symbol for his whole persona. "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? This symbolism does an excellent job of drawing attention and supporting the theme of the newfound sexual awareness that comes with maturing. Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? ( Log Out /  Kun medlemmer kan læse hele indholdet.

Connie’s home is a symbol of weakness in a dangerous world. Connie has the nervous habbit of craning (or stretching out) her neck to glance in mirrors.

Arnold Friend’s car was a very cryptic but important symbol in.

Dizziness marks Connie’s growing realization that Arnold Friend is not who he claims to be. craning (or stretching out) her neck to glance in mirrors. Symbolism. Teran, Adriana. ( Log Out / 

The language of the short story has a medium difficulty in comprehension. 23-28).

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The color of Arnold’s car is a bright gold, a very ‘flashy’ color, and he also stated that the gold paint was new, covering up old paint; this tells the reader something about Arnold.

The gold paint leading girls on to believe that the car, or that he, is better than the reality. In the story, the author also inserts various symbolical elements meant to further contribute to its themes and messages. Though the vocabulary is meant to be simple and easy to follow, some of the sentences are longer and the choice of words is closely related to society in the 1960s, which may make some terms or slang harder to grasp: She sat on the edge of her bed, barefoot, and listened for an hour and a half to a program called XYZ Sunday Jamboree, record after record of hard, fast, shrieking songs she sang along with, interspersed by exclamations from "Bobby King": "An' look here, you girls at Napoleon's—Son and Charley want you to pay real close attention to this song coming up!" essays are academic essays for citation. When Arnold Friend offers to take Connie for a ride, he is … Besides from being the stereotypical teenage coping tool, music played a huge role in Connie’s emotions and impulses in. Learn about the different symbols such as Gold Car in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? I always tell the truth and I promise you this: I ain't coming in that house after you."