The Transition from Childhood to Adulthood in Joyce Carol...

The Transition from Childhood to Adulthood in Joyce Carol Oates Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? All people experience changes in their life. Some of these changes are small such as the passing from one grade to another in school. Other changes are more intense, such as the transition from childhood to adulthood. In Joyce Carol Oates? ?Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been Oates goes into depth regarding the transition from being a carefree, innocent child to adulthood. In the short story ?Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been two separate worlds are drawn to the reader?s attention. The first is the normal daily life of Connie, a fifteen year old girl living in a home with her parents. Connie?s daily life is simple†¦show more content†¦Physical appearance was one thing that Connie was obsessed with her own. Connie lives a life where she daydreams about boys. Her mother tries to keep her head out of the clouds, telling her ?her mind was all filled with trashy daydreams.?( ) Connie?s world is invaded the day that Arnold Friend pulls up in her driveway. Even before Friend shows up, Connie has an experience where she wakes from a dream ?and hardly knew where she was?. ( ) This was just the beginning of the experience. Arnold Friend asks her to go for a ride; the location is unknown to either of the characters when the subject is brought up. This is where the title comes into perspective ?where are you going?.( ) The location is left unknown in order to emphasize the uncertainty of the future one faces when one comes of age. As Arnold Friend tries to seduce Connie into the car she went deeper and deeper into the house searching for her youth. Yet, it was not there. She uses the home as a place to hide from her fears yet not realizing that she lives there. ?The kitchen looked like a place she had never seen before, some room she had run inside...? ( ). There is a sense that she has changed from her childhood ways and the house is no longer her youth and she is now an adult. When she reaches the decision to leave the house to go with Friend, it is almost as though she has no choice. This directly relates toShow MoreRelatedConnie ´s Coming of Age1257 Words   |  6 PagesAge In her famous short story, â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,† Joyce Carol Oates shows the transition from childhood to adulthood through her character Connie. Each person experiences this transition in their own way and time. For some it is leaving home for the first time to go to college, for others it might be having to step up to a leadership position. No matter what, this transition affects everyone; it just happens to everyone differently. Oates describes Connies unfortunate comingRead MoreWhere Are You Going, Where Have You Been?965 Words   |  4 PagesConnie’s transitions in â€Å"Where are you going, Where have you been?† Most characters go through many transitions throughout the story. The transitions maybe big or small, but they do make a difference in the story. In the short story â€Å"Where are you going, Where have you been?† by Joyce Carol Oates, Connie is the protagonist. Connie is a 15 year old girl that is so unexperienced and she wants to go out and explore the world. Connie is enveloped by Arnold Friend’s sweet talk, he is the instrument thatRead MoreA P By John Updike And Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?885 Words   |  4 PagesIn the short stories â€Å"AP† by John Updike and â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† by Joyce Carol Oates, both authors tell of story of transitioning from childhood to adulthood. Sammy, from Updike’s story, is a nineteen year old boy whose parents got him a job as a cashier at the local AP. Connie, from Oates’ story, is a pretty, blonde, fifteen year old girl who has an almost narcissistic attitude as she has a habit of constantly checking herself and comparing herself to others. Both of theseRead MoreJoyce Carol Oates Where Are You Going Where Have You Been? as a Coming of Age Story1167 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Coming of Age: Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Joyce Carol Oatess short story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? is the story of a fifteen-year-old girl named Connie, a pretty girl who is in the middle of a rebellious adolescence. She alienates herself from her family, preferring to spend her time with her friends at the local restaurant looking for boys. She enjoys the popular music of the day and tries to appear older and sophisticated beyond her years when away from her home.Read MoreArnold Friend Symbolism1115 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been†, was published by Joyce Carol Oates. She was born on June 16th, 1938 in Lockport, New York. As an American writer, Oates published over 40 novels, as well as a number of plays, short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Out of her works, one of her publications consisted of the short story â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been†. This particular story was about a teenage girl, named Connie, who encounters an unknown, demonic à ¢â‚¬Å"stranger† (Arnold Friend). ThroughoutRead MoreShort Story Analysis: Where Are You Going Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates1375 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Introduction Joyce Carol Oatess short story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? was first published in the literary journal Epoch in 1966. The story is about beginnings and the rites of passage. This work is an illustration of a coming of age story, also known as an initiation story. In such stories, the protagonist undergoes an important rite of passage, transformation, an experience of transition, usually from childhood to adulthood, or fromRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Stone Boy 1954 Words   |  8 Pagesindustrial designer Adam Savage, â€Å" one of the defining moments of adulthood is the realization that nobody’s going to take care of you.† This statement caused me to cogitate the potential aspects that cause one s shift from childhood into adulthood.Within the four short stories â€Å"Initiation†( Plath, Sylvia.) by Sylvia Plath, â€Å"Araby†(Joyce, James.) by James Joyce, â€Å" Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been† (Oates, Carol Joyce.) by Joyce Carol Oates, and â€Å"The Stone boy† (Berriault, Gina.) by Gina BerriaultRead MoreEssay on Transition in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been3629 Words   |  15 PagesTransition in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Each of us experiences transitions in our lives. Some of these changes are small, like moving from one school semester to the next. Other times these changes are major, like the transition between youth and adulthood. In Joyce Carol Oates Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?, the author dramatizes a real life crime story to examine the decisive moment people face when at the crossroads between the illusions and innocenceRead MoreWhere Are You Going? Where Have You Been?2044 Words   |  9 Pagesstory â€Å"Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?† both characters, Connie and Arnold, suffer from having dual identities. Connie is an individual who acts completely different outside her home, where she tries to portray an image of being sexually appealing. However, she is the complete opposite within her home, where she hides her sexuality and acts more like the adolescent she really is. Arnold is a mature man, something Connie is looking for in life an d this intrigues her. Both characters have trouble