Where are you going, where have you been?

Literature Journal 4

Where are You Going, Where Have You Been?

By Joyce Carol Oates

Examine the ways in which the story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? develops its characters. For example, what narrative techniques does it use to explore the character’s thoughts?

The author uses a variety of literary and narrative techniques in telling the story and relating the characters. The story is very scenic, so that the action of the story can be closely followed and is easily understood by the reader. The attitude portrayed by Connie is both relevant and believable. The qualities of Connie's character are portrayed in a near discursive manner, plainly stated and emphasized in the beginning paragraphs of the story. Arnold on the other hand, is a more dramatic character whose disposition in the story is used to create suspense. Arnold is a more eclectic character, and his qualities are unfolded as he speaks and acts. His actions and statements are out of the ordinary, and are more dramatically received because no background information was offered on him.

The author used a great deal of sensory detail and imagery throughout the story, just enough to maintain an element of suspense without causing the reader to lose train of thought. This detail of the story, especially in the beginning, helps to emphasize the superfluous nature of Connie and her lifestyle.

The author also uses juxtaposition to more greatly distinguish the qualities of Connie versus the rest of her family, particularly her sister. In the beginning, Connie's mother compares her to her sister with questions and statements such as, “Why don't you keep your room clean like your sister?” and “You don't see your sister using that junk (Oates, 501).” This is a recurring theme throughout the story. The character of Arnold also uses juxtaposition to try to lure Connie to him, by contrasting her so greatly to her sister through lines such as, “There's your sister in a blue dress, huh? And high heels, the poor sad bitch- nothing like you, sweetheart (Oates, 507)!” This juxtaposition serves as a mechanism to more distinctly set the main character (Connie) apart from the other characters of the story.

I also noticed that the author used a framing device halfway through the story, in regards to the house and its surroundings. When Connie opens her eyes after she has been tanning, she suddenly sees her surroundings differently. “...When she opened her eyes she hardly knew where she was, the back yard ran of into weeds and a fence line of tress and behind it the sky was perfectly blue and still. The asbestos 'ranch house' that was now three years old startled her-it looked small (Oates, 503).” She sees the house as small, and the yard as unimpressive and unfamiliar. This is again referenced in the last lines of the story with, “...so much land that Connie had never seen before and did not recognize except to know that she was going to it (Oates, 511).”

The perception of Connie's surroundings halfway through the story could also be interpreted as foreshadowing, another common theme present in the story. The most particular element of foreshadowing was both the statements made by Arnold earlier in the story, and Connie's perception of him. When Connie passed Arnold earlier in the story, he had uttered the words, “Gonna get you, baby (Oates, 502),” which only Connie had heard or noticed. This is somewhat ironic because in the end of the story Connie was again alone with only herself conscious of Arnold's presence, it was almost as if he were haunting her throughout the story.

There is also a minor theme of poetic justice presented. It seems so, due to the fact that Connie's vanity was so exaggerated throughout the story. And in the end, Connie's vanity became possibly quite literally, the death of her.