Contextual Analysis of Joyce Carol Oates' Short Stort - Essay Example

?Contextual Analysis-What are you going, where have you been? by Joyce Carol Oates An individual’s character and his/her attitude could be shaped by his/her self-image. Thus, in a way, self- image can even build or destroy the confidence of the individual. It is this self-image and it has an negative on the central protagonist is only depicted in the short story titled “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” written by Joyce Carol Oates. Connie, the protagonist of the story, is an adolescent girl, aiming to utilize her pretty looks to create an impression on young boys. It this awareness about her looks that causes trouble to Connie. Connie is pleased with the fact that boys are attracted towards her beauty and she rejoices the time she spends with boys. The confidence of Connie that she can handle the attention of the boys is jolted when she finds herself in a situation, where she is unable to control a boy who admired her beauty. Self –image, if not channeled in the right direction, can lead to dangerous consequence can be discerned from “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Connie is presented as a teenage girl who is more concerned about her looks than her behavior. Connie assumes two different roles; while she is at home she behaves like a child but her behavior is completely different when she is outdoors, roaming with her friends in the evenings. “Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home: her walk, which could be childlike and bobbing, or languid enough ….like the jingling of the charms on her bracelet.” (Oates 27). She is happier in her dreamy world, relishing her meetings with the boys, than focusing on how her behavior could evoke different responses from different people. Connie’s over-confidence stemming from her self-image, brings forth the impact self image has on the behavior and attitude of an individual. As Connie is well aware of her pretty looks and the effect, her prettiness has on other people, she aims to utilize her that to create an impression on young boys. She is concerned about the effect her looks have on other people and even checks the mirror quite often because of that. “She was fifteen and she had a quick, nervous giggling habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors or checking other people's faces to make sure her own was all right.” (Oates 25). She is pleased when she notices that her beauty is having the desired effect on the people. Even when her mother reprimands Connie for admiring herself, Connie pays no heed to her mother’s complaints. “Connie would raise her eyebrows at these familiar old complaints and look right through her mother, into a shadowy vision of herself as she was right at that moment: she knew she was pretty and that was everything.” (Oates 15). She enjoys the attention of the boys and it this quality of hers that lands her into trouble. It happens through the character of Arnold Friend. “She is going to her death, and her fate is largely the result of her a consciousness shaped by the frantic life of cruising in fast cars…. anonymous boys, consciousness epitomized by the frantic music she listens.” (Quirk 197). Arnold Friend is the person who is attracted towards Connie and in spite of her reluctance, forces her to come with him. She fails to realize that her behavior was attracting the attention of an evil person. “It was a boy with shaggy black hair, in a convertible jalopy painted gold. He stared at her and then his lips widened into a grin…… glancing back and there he was, still watching her. He wagged a finger and laughed and said, "Gonna get you, baby.” (Oates 28). That is because, Arnold is first presented as a polite boy who is captivated by the beauty of Connie and wants to spend some time with her. But his true characteristics are revealed when Connie refuses to go along with him for a ride. He is older than he tries to portray, and enforces his wish on Connie by threatening her that he will harm her family members. Arnold Friend, a wicked person notices Connie and arrives at her home when she is alone. He threatens Connie that he would hurt her family if she refused to accompany him on a ride. “This is how it is, honey: you come out and we'll drive away, have a nice ride. But if you don't come out we're gonna wait till your people come home and then they're all going to get it.” (Oates 44). Connie initially struggles to free herself from the intimidating Arnold Friend. She attempts to the lock the door of her kitchen so that she can remain safety in her house. “She rushed forward and tried to lock the door. Her fingers were shaking.” (Oates 42). But in her struggle against Arnold Friend, she surrenders and agrees to come out of her house when Arnold Friend threatens to harm her family. In a way, Connie mainly out of fear and concern for her family members only gives in to Arnold’s demands. Thus, it is clear that the awareness about her looks that causes trouble to Connie and puts her in a situation where she is compelled to behave according to the wish of Friend, as he intends to exploit her. Although Connie was confident that she can handle the attention of boys, she is unable to have her own way while dealing with Arnold Friend. Connie’s thoughts divulge that she has accepted the fact that her life has gone out of her control. “She felt her pounding heart…… She thought for the first time in her life that it was nothing that was hers, that belonged to her, but just a pounding, living thing inside this body that wasn't really hers either.” (Oates 47). In her struggle with Arnold Friend, Connie fails to win owing to the lack of resilience. Thus, the ruinous effect that Connie’s self image has on her life is depicted in the story when she is forced to leave the safety of her house and act according to Arnold’s intentions The style and tone of the narration bring forth the contrasting behavior of Connie. In the initial part of the story, Connie is presented as a confident girl who is pleased with the effect her beauty has on other people. But in the later part of the story, when Arnold Friend arrives at her house to take her to a ride, she appears as a terrorized girl who is unsure about how to deal with Arnold Friend. “She sat, one leg cramped under her, and deep inside her brain was something like a pinpoint of light that kept going….. I'm not going to see my mother again. She thought, I'm not going to sleep in my bed again.” (Oates 46). The impact of Connie’s pride on her life, and the contrast in her attitude reinforces the theme of the story. Later in the story, when she is terrorized by the moves of Arnold Friend, the terror of Connie is presented through the viewpoint of a third person. The third person narration brings forth the thoughts and behavior of Connie. “Joyce Carol Oates's "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"….. Connie awkwardly inches toward adulthood, as she tries to maneuver her way around the obstacles and roadblocks mother has thrown in her path.” (Cruise). The image of a teenage girl who is obsessed by her looks is effectively captured in this type of narration. The tone and language, employed in the narration of the story provides a detached view of Connie’s activities and thoughts The story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? places emphasis on the consequences of Connie’s self-image and proud attitude, without focusing on reality and socially acceptable behavior. This approach in the story presents the theme of the story to the reader in a clear and lucid manner. Although what happens to Connie when she leaves the safety of her house and comes out to meet Arnold Friend is ambiguous, the reader is able to visualize Connie as a victim of Arnold’s evil intentions. Arnold Friend is a man who is possessed by his wicked thoughts and desire to be Connie’s lover. Her behavior and pretty looks catch the attention of Arnold Friend, who approaches her with his wicked intentions. It is human nature to develop over-confidence and act rashly. Connie, being pretty, develops over-confidence and a detrimental self-image. Connie prides on the fact that she is pretty and boys are attracted towards her. The self-image of a beautiful girl that Connie bears in her mind makes her arrogant and vulnerable to Arnold’s wicked intentions. Thus, in a way, owing to her self-image only, Connie exposes herself to danger, by her attempts to attract boys towards her. It is obvious that Connie’s non-focus about reality caused because of her self–image makes her to ignore the risk she would encounter due to her actions. Works Cited Cruise, James. Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? and Cold War Hermeneutics. South Central Review 22. 2 (2005): 95-109. Oates, Joyce C. "Where are You Going, where Have You Been?": Selected Early Stories. Rutgers University Press. 1994. Quirk, Tom. Nothing Abstract. University of Missouri Press. 2001. . Read More