In "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" Joyce Carol Oates creates a very universal story line that many can relate to. It is not just a tribute to young women, but it poses a picture of confusion and a feeling of not belonging that people of various genders and ages face. This is most likely why it is so appealing to college students who, in a new and independent time of their lives, are trying to find themselves in a large and unfamiliar world that they have yet to truly fit in. Connie, in the story, talks about how her beauty and individuality is downplayed by her mother's possible resentment for her and need to make her sister stand out for her minor accomplishments. And i find this very comparable for many people's situations. Countless individuals feel like they live in the shadows of others, especially loved ones, and strive to feel the same acceptance that they see around them. Unfortunately, like Connie, this confusion does cloud the mind and sometimes steers people down the wrong path and into compromising situations. Hopefully these people find their way out before they are in to deep. This particular short story is a great story for families to read because it can very well open the eyes to sufferers of this situation and those inflicting the hardship.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Week 4, Question 6
6. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is Joyce Carol Oates’s most anthologized story – published in a high percentage of college literature texts. As she’s a prolific author, having producing hundreds of short stories and dozens of novels, explain why you think this particular story grabs the reader so – what do we relate to or feel that makes it such a hit with critics and readers alike?
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Your post "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", is interesting and well written. My perception of this moment in Connie's life which you called "the wrong path" does not seem to be the mood which I perceive. Connie is not being drawn toward Friend because she is confused. She is young and being intimidated by him. This type of mind control or force by fear is often used by sexual predators. She is afraid of him and is thinking if she does everything he demands of her he will not harm her when in fact he may very well kill her to keep her from talking. The only wrong path being traveled on in this story is being traveled alone by Friend.
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