Creepy, creepy...

Creepy, creepy...

 

 

The latest story that we're reading in my English class is titled Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates. I read it last night with the TV going in the background; it just so happened that the show on at the time was CSI. Good Lord. The story was already about this guy who follows a young girl home and entices and manipulates her to come out of her house and come with him, so the TV was actually perfect background noise. What's scary for me personally is that I know this guy who has the same elements as the antagonist in this story, who, incidentally, called me this week under a blocked number, and has a similar way about him as the antagonist in our story.

We're talking right now about the various reactions that the class has about the story. It seems to be a coming of age story, with factors of a young girl growing up and some family factors such as an absent father, a mother who seems to prefer her sister to her. Granted, the point of view here is third person, omniscient. The music seems to be extremely important, being quoted as an incantation. It is also something of a morality tale, where the protagonist is seduced by her own vanity.

Some context here: this story was written in 1966, when the Vietnam War was in full swing (and the associated civil rights marches and protests). The women's movement was also happening, as well as the Cold War and the space race. The drug revolution was beginning, and rock n roll was beginning its Golden Age.

As a coming of age story, the description of the antagonist, Arnold Friend (A. Friend?) could almost be seen to be a description of Bob Dylan, and this brings to mind the story of the Pied Piper, who seduced his public with his music

Sacrifice: it seems that the protagonist was a sacrifice for her family, whether or not that was willingly.

Study questions (portfolio entry #2), with all textual support:

1. Describe Connie completely.
   

   -paradoxical combination of vanity and insecurity
   

   -one moment she's a little girl, the next a young woman
   

2. Describe Connie's parents completely.
   
3. Who is Arnold Friend, and why does she go with him?
   

Connie is manipulated, and because she is such a narcissist, she allows herself to give in