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Reading Oates's piece was interesting. From the start we have character Connie who is full of herself it seems as she "glances into mirrors or checks other people's faces to make sure her own was all right" (40). We then read about June, Connie's older sister who is nothing like her and the mother as well. The difference Oates provides with each character is pretty clear. The mother can be seen as this woman who wishes Connie was like her older daughter, June. Her mother is somewhat doubtful when it comes to Connie as well. "June did this, June did that...Connie couldn't do a thing, her mind was all filled with trashy daydreams" (41) and "If June's name was mentioned it was approving, and if Connie's name was mentioned it was disapproving" (43) . Then there is June who keeps to herself and is a little odd. "...and in the backseat poor old June all dressed up as if she didn't know what a barbecue was" (43). Oates still wrote in a way that didn't need much imagery, but in tone and personality when describing the characters. The use of similes on page 41 depicts Connie's attitude and persona . "...her laugh which was cynical and drawling at home... but high- pitched and nervous anywhere else, like the jingling of the charms on her bracelet". I can see the two very different sides Connie has to her, but will never be shown at the same time until later in the story. The details also used in certain scenes of the story were beautiful to read, for example page 43 when Connie is enjoying her day outside. "And Connie played close attention to herself, bathed in a glow of slow-pulsed joy that seemed to rise mysteriously out of the music itself...". Oates also uses one of the five senses and that is sound. "The gravel kept crunching all the way in from the road..." (44). Not only does Oates describe Connie and her family, but Arnold the rather threatening young man in the story. I personally didn't really see a connection to the title based on my understanding I got from the story. I interpreted how this 15 year old girl (Connie) is in a way asking for attention knowing how pretty she is, yet once she receives this attention, it's from a threatening rather negative way where only then we see her two sides- timid and confident like.
ReplyDelete-Illiana Luna
That was a slightly intense reading by Oates. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is pretty much a question you as the reader or parents would ask Connie at the end of the story. This Is story of what someone would get if they keep misbehaving, like that silly monster our parents used to tell us that would get us if we do bad things. I don’t know how to spell, either with a ‘k’ or a ‘c.’ The character’s actions, the appearances, the climax and ending were presented well. I’m still slightly confused and concerned with the part where Connie was picking up the phone, but I’ll have to see what the rest of the class thought about it. I like how Arnold was described as your typical bad boy greaser guy, hell, even got him sunglasses to look the part. Something about me and characters that act calm, slightly collective and aggressive is what I enjoy listen and reading about.
ReplyDeleteReading through this story and the last two, I’m still between choosing first person or third person for my short story. I typically go for first person because I want to “be” the character in the story, having to know both their thoughts and feelings towards others. This fits perfectly since I only know my protagonist superficially, not by origins and why he became who he is now. I don’t know if third person would work, having to craft and know each and ever character, but I’m rather curious on having two drafted versions of the story.
Hector Dimas
I liked the first reading because it taught me that you don’t have to always write about something that you have experienced. I always thought writing something that you knew was always better than writing about something you don’t know but now that I think about it this really does limit your creativity. Like the beginning of chapter two says, I was always taught in school to write about something that I knew. This taught me to fear writing about something that I didn’t know. I like how this chapter states that writing about a certain topic in mind and derailing from it is totally okay. This allows creativity to flow and create something unique. Then we jumped into reading ,the story “Where are you going, Where have you been?” I went online after reading this story to try and find out more about it, turns out the writer was inspired by a serial killer named Charles Schmid, Charles killed a young girl named, Alleen Rowe, with a friend named, John Saunders, he murdered her only because he wanted to know what it felt like to kill someone. The writer wrote this story because she was inspired by these events. I can assume that she wrote this story with an idea in mind and her reference to “fear” which goes with what this chapter discusses, writing not necessarily something that you know about. She probably doesn’t know what it feels like to walk towards death or maybe she does. My point is, if she didn’t know and she managed to write this story and deliver the emotion, then it proofs the information in chapter two is true. Anyways, the story was immersive; I felt it all as I read along, especially the scene where Arnold begins to manipulate Connie as she descends deeper into her own fears and longings. The way the fear was described was nerve wrecking and throughout it all I hoped she wouldn’t walk out that door. In the end she does and I am filled with sorrow. This is the kind of writing I aspire to write. A piece where the emotions are felt, as if reliving a scene that you’ve never lived.
ReplyDeleteAlejandra Rodriguez
Joyce Carol Oats short story called “Where are you going, Where have you been” is a short story that seems to be relating a deep theme of “coming of age”, and how being a child who acts like an adult, and actually being one, is two widely separate things. Especially since pretending to be something your not can get you into some serious trouble. I would also like to add (maybe) stranger danger since Arnold friend is such a creep, but I don’t think that is the main theme the creator was going for.
ReplyDeleteIn the very beginning we are introduced to the main character Connie who is just 15 years old. Now Connie isn’t a bad person, but she is rather arrogant, and likes to put on a display of being older than she actually is. Not only that, Connie has a rather rude attitude problem as well. Most of her actions and dialogue in the beginning all point to her enlarged ego, and her belief that being pretty is the only important thing in the world. Even in the beginning when we are first introduced to her character you can clearly tell she is shallow and vain.
“Her name was connie. She was fifteen and she had a quick, nervous giggling habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors or checking other peoples faces to make sure her own was all right.” There is no other reason why to start the beginning of the story like this other than to show just how full of herself Connie is, to help establish her character and the cause of her own end since her own pride and “adult” ways were what got her into trouble.
Over all, I found the short story to be quite good. The story ends with what seems to be a dark ending, That leaves the reader questioning the fate of Connie. This story has many tones of young adolescence and how you can easily get full of yourself a little to much. Which in this case had some very harsh consequences.
All in all the short story seemed to be a great story with some very deep themes.
-Kathleen m. Salinas
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” slowly progressed into a very unsettling story from something that seemed rather normal, for lack of a better word. It was interesting to watch the story shift toward this eerie tone over and over again as more details were revealed in the later part of the story where Arnold Friend was trying to convince Connie to go driving with him. For me it seemed to slip slowly into the supernatural genre, so subtly that it wasn’t until the very end that I felt that something was more off than it seemed right off the bat. Arnold’s character is the source of the supernatural vibe- I feel- what with his knowing things he couldn’t know, and Connie’s description of him looking like he was wearing a mask, his shoes fitting oddly, his hair being a wig.
ReplyDeleteActually, the more that I dwell on and reread her descriptions of him, the more I get to thinking that this character is supposed to be the devil, and the whole story is some kind of punishment to Connie- for what, I couldn’t say, maybe vanity. The primary piece of evidence for my thinking that Arnold is the devil is the way his shoes are described to fit oddly, pointing at an odd angle, and this to me seems to point toward more than him just trying to seem taller- hooved feet. The other thing is the suave and good-looking way in which Connie initially describes him- this ultimately being the reason why Connie can’t decide whether or not she likes him. If I’m right, this is extremely well-done, and going to back to reread it I notice more things that are slightly off. It’s very disconcerting, almost disturbing, and I think that this was the goal of the story. It’s incredibly well done in my opinion.
Lauryn Flores
I like this story, “Where are you going, Where have you been?” because it is written with a lot of tension, mystery and to understand the characters you have to make a lot of assumptions. We don’t get a lot of information about the characters in the story but we do learn a lot about Connie, the main character. I’m very intrigued by the way Joyce Carol Oates uses character development, what caught my attention is how she uses the other characters to mirrors off of Connie. In the beginning if the story we get the sense that Connie has become indifferent toward her mother, sister and father. The story develops Connie by showing how other characters react to her, for example, her mother always patronizing her for not helping out as much as her sister and the neglect of her father all are mentioned soo we get to know Connie a little more through the story. The only issue I had with the story was the unsettling characters who randomly appear at Connie’ s house are really creepy and it gave me the feeling that the story could easily go from believable to downright insane any moment. I think the author wrote this way to show how dialogue and details of characters function to reflect the behavior and nature of other characters.
ReplyDeleteMark Benitez
Hey guys, so I had ordered my book on friday and even dished out the extra cash for faster shipping and it says my book was delivered on friday but it really hasn't so I dont know what to do about that...I called amazon and they were not much help to me, they told me to wait till monday and call back. Sorry about that. Hopefully I get my book soon and this whole mess sorted out
ReplyDeleteJessica Guzman
There is a particular aesthetic that comes to mind while reading, “Where are you going, where have you been?” That wide eyed, cola drinking youth, ripe and hungry for male attention; discovering the world in a seedy drive in diner until ultimately meeting her unfortunate fate. And that one guy: bad boy, bad news; far worse than initially imagined. Something out of The Virgin Suicides, Twin Peaks and every other Lana Del Rey song. Connie is the perpetual teenager. Skipping the feature for the company of a boy. Desperate to be pretty with an aversion to boredom and growing up. Music is the only thing that can dress up any hole in the wall and even bat away the flys, so long as you can feel it in your body.
ReplyDeleteBut as the fantasy slowly fades into fear, the atmosphere turns sour. After each bit of dialogue between Connie and Arnold, something is revealed about his identity. His persona becomes more and more of an act as he senses he’s being found out, like a wolf in grandma’s clothing. Everything about him is a sham. Nevertheless,the facade continues even as the last few paragraphs end with the finality of leaving the life you knew and never coming back.
Robin Turrubiates
Laplante gives really good advice, and what I like the most is that she used so many examples and quotes from other authors to support her advice. I think the advice I found the most helpful was “Moving from ‘Triggering’ to Real Subject.” I personally have a hard time fleshing out my writing from the initial idea, so this little section really gave me insight as to how to do so. I also really liked her advice on how simply being interested in a subject wouldn’t help you write something that was actually knowledgeable about said subject, but that you should be “obsessed” with it to a certain extent.
ReplyDelete“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” was creepy. Everything about Arnold (who made this story creepy) was disgusting, shady, and just creepy. There was literally nothing redeemable about his character, and I’m honestly a little devastated that Connie was taken? Everything is a little confusing, detail-wise, because there’s really no clues as to why or how he managed to coerce her into going with him towards the end, and if there was an explanation hidden in those paragraphs, it totally went over my head. I really enjoyed this reading overall, but I’m more angry about the fact that creepy Arnold got what he wanted in the end.
Ayesha Crutchfield
From its opening line, Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where are you going, Where have you been?” is an engaging story that keeps you reading to see what occurs. We are introduced to Connie, who is the embodiment of a teenager; she is eager to be independent and different from her older sister June. She relishes her frequent trips to the mall with her friends, in which they sneak off to a drive-thru to hang out with the older kids. That moment in the pivot point of the story, in which Connie sees an unfamiliar man in a gold convertible. From this point forward, Oates uses a sense of dread to make the reader engage fully with Connie’s own perceived emotions. While reading, similar to Connie’s own reaction to the creepy guy in the gold car, I too felt unnerved by how sudden his interest in her was. Later, when the two have their stand-off at Connie’s house, I can’t help but feel creeped out by everything he is saying as well. When orchestrating this entire story, Oates managed to make the reader connect to Connie is a way that makes these emotions resonate within the reader. Also, these basic emotions are deep tuned to an individual’s sense of right and wrong, as well as their own morals. The sight of a older man accosting a fifteen year old girl home alone at her own house is a scenario that enough to make anyone shiver. By manipulating these types of thoughts, Oates makes her story connect with us in a emotional level as well as making it relevant due to the types of crimes that occur in everyday life.
ReplyDeleteDavid Leal
I'm pretty sure I've read this story before in high school. It is definitely one of the eeriest and darkest stories that I've ever read. Obviously, what I find the darkest about "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" the most about is the fact that it's never explained what happens to Connie. The story basically has no ending and it's completely up to the reader's interpretation of what Connie's fate is. Does she get back home safely? Does Arnold do something horrible to her? Does Connie even survive? What makes this the scariest is that Connie's situation has more than likely happened in real life to several teenagers. And often we ourselves do not get the answer to any questions about their fate. Not everything has a happy ending in real life. We may want a happy cheerful ending with a teenage girl being taken home by the police, tearfully hugging her parents and apologizing to them, then her realizing what went wrong. But often times we don't see this. Those teenagers disappear without a trace.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to assume this story is meant to serve as a moral for hooking up with random people that you've never met. Especially when it comes to teenagers often being around several older people of the opposite gender late at night and when their parents are not aware of what they are doing. Obviously this situation could happen to anyone regardless of age (or gender) so it can be seen as Connie being trapped in a "no way out" situation. I would assume, being only fifteen, she was much too afraid to even try to fight against Arnold in any way. She feels practically helpless in that situation (as I would). Regardless of how lucky and unlucky Connie was to begin with, she more than likely learned a lesson after what happened to her. If she did ever make it back home, I would assume she would start to obey her parents more.
Michael McCormick
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” was, to say the least, one of the strangest writings I’ve ever read. The, seemingly, normal way it commences just adds on to the eerie build-up of this short story. After reading it, I also looked more into the theme of the writing, the author, and the inspiration behind it. I feel that the reason why this story is so appraised is because of the point of view it’s written in. Normally we hear these types of stories from others. We hear/read, ‘she was brutally murdered’, not, ‘I am being kidnapped and murdered’ (obviously because the person is dead). But, in this story we get to properly see the life of an ordinary girl take a horrible turn. We don’t get to assume what she felt in the terrifying moments before her abduction, the reader actually goes inside the mind and thoughts of the victim.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, some parts were strange and evidently supernatural (when Arnold tells Connie what her family is doing, the moment they are doing it), it adds up to the serial killer profile. The killer stalks his victims, knows a disturbing amount of information about them, and (since it was inspired by the Charles Schmid case) is oddly charming to the victim. The way he lured her to come to him willingly without any loopholes, could stand for the killer’s abduction process. And in the end where Connie panics (and maybe got stabbed) she just gives in and knows she is doomed. That I feel was the part where the killer kills the victim. All in all, I feel like this was a scene that represented the stages of an abduction/murder of a serial killer.
Diana Gonzalez
The direction of the story went an entirely different route than I had originally anticipated. In the beginning, Connie expresses this annoyance towards her mother to the point where she "wished her mother was dead and she herself was dead and it was all over." The mother scolds her, judges her, constantly compares her to her sister June, uses a disapproving tone when mentioning her in conversation - I really thought the story was going to focus on the relationship between the two of them. That maybe the mother would find out what Connie has really been doing when she goes out with her friends, they would get into this huge fight, and the story would continue from there, but Oates didn't do that. Instead, she shifts the focus to Arnold Friend (who at first, reminded me of Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused, seeing how he was an older man hanging around high school kids) who turns out to be far more different than I expected. I figured he was there to convince Connie to go fool around with him, but the way Oates went about it was very creepy and confusing. I reread the last five pages and I still don't understand how Connie went from knowing she should call the police on him - screaming and crying out of fear, to becoming this empty person following his every word. Was the ending of the story scary? Yes. Was it easy for me to follow? Not really.
ReplyDeleteKarla Olvera
Oates's “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is a captivating tale that actually took me awhile to finish not because of its length but because of the high tension and uncomfortable ending. We're introduced to a character who seems quite unlikable, Connie, as our protagonist. She's young and seemingly full of herself, chasing this ideal vision of her life and making all the bad decisions a teenager can only make when away from her mother's eye. By also including June, Oates does well to contrast and show more of who Connie is by giving a sorta frame of reference for the type of girl her mother would approve of her being. Highlighting the recklessness of youth and freedom, Oates sets up a somewhat idealized vision of teenage life.
ReplyDeleteHe then turns it on its head. Which I really appreciated, but had to start taking breaking while I was reading. Arnold Friend is incredibly unnerving and disgusting. It's implied that he's older, possibly in his 30s while he's trying to coerce Connie, a teenager, out of her house and into his truck. What started it off as playful took a really sick turn and that was fantastic on Oates's part as he was able to keep the tension and uneasiness throughout. In all honesty, I read a few of my classmates' comments to see exactly what happens at the end in order to prepare myself for the absolute worst. What really makes the entire scene that more eerie is while it's implied that Connie is going to be sexually assaulted by Arnold, there's no words on what's going to happen to her after this. The reader can assume that she's never going to return to her home and be written off as a reckless runaway teenager despite how she struggled at the end. That's what's incredibly heartbreaking as well, that Connie's character is going to be immortalized as a wild teenager and maybe not seen so much as a victim.
All in all, the style of the story and focusing so much on how lucky Connie was at the beginning of the story and how things just fell into place for her versus the stark and dark ending is amazing. As a reader, it felt me with a feeling of hopelessness and dread, but as a writer, it inspired me to try and work with scenes that could bring about these same feelings in my readers.
- Georginia Ramos
The feeling of suspense is what tied me to the story. Oates delivers an ominous tone towards the middle of her story where Connie encounters Arnold Friend. At this moment, the teenage angst aspect of the plot quickly shifts into a situation Connie cannot seemed to escape. The use of dialogue makes each scene more intense. The back and forth conversation between the characters created a more nail-biting feeling for the reader. The dialogue is actually what kept me inclined to continue the story. Whenever the time comes to produce my own writing pieces, Oates inspired me to want to add more dialogue to every situation. Detail can help develop the setting and environment of the story, but dialogue is was really drives the character development, and creates more three dimensional people. When hearing Connie develop her voice through dialogue, I began to feel her uneasiness and fear. My heart began to beat faster along with Connie. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this piece, and admired the structure. The author really knows how to keep the reader engaged.
ReplyDeletePedro Trevino
Boy did I think this story was boring…at first!!! Seemed like a normal story about a girl living in the 1950’s or 1960’s or whatever. I feel like it dragged on a bit until a little later on. Boy does the ending sneak up on you. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. I myself became very uneasy. As someone who does not tolerate the idea of rape or anything like that, the story made me react more than I expected to. Like the previous story, dialogue was obviously good, and visual descriptions were swell. I could see that piece of crap car like she explained it.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the ending was pretty depressing for me, because as far as I know, it seems like Connie ended up going with that jerk Arnold…Gross, I can’t fathom the idea. Though I suppose after thinking about it for some time, I feel like Connie had it coming. That whole intro that I thought was boring may have actually been context for the ending. When I went back to read the first time she encounters the guy when she is on a date I realized something. Connie was so self-absorbed, constantly going out with her friends, looking down on people she thought she was better than, talking with random boys. Then there was some alley action or something, maybe I’m going too far, but it seems like Connie was well on her way to becoming a slut? Is that too harsh? I don’t know how to word it. At this point I am beginning to believe that Oates overall theme was to suggest that every action or behavior has a consequence. Being the way that she was gave her unwanted attention. We even see it in her mother, how her mother is always nagging to her and comparing her to her safe and innocent sister who is already beginning to be successful. I don’t know. All I know is this was a story that made me emotionally react, and if it did that, then there must be something good happening there.
Mykle Angelo