Varun Mokhashi
AP 1
666
The Lure of an Old Fiend
At first, the story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, written by Joyce Carol Oates, seems to be about a young, insecure, and vain teenage girl, Connie, living her summer vacation joyfully, and without any cares; but as one reads on, themes of death, the devil, and evil make themselves apparent. The story details Connie’s encounter with Arnold Friend, a sexual predator, who entices Connie into leaving her house and safe haven, so that he may abduct her. While early on in the story, Arnold Friend seems to be a normal kid around Connie’s age, she soon discovers that he is actually much older than she is. She realizes that he is not what he seems, and her curiosity of Arnold begins to turn into a terrible fear of him. He threatens her and tries to get her to leave the safety of her house and come outside into his outstretched arms. Arnold Friend comes to represent death and the devil in the story; in contrast, Connie—a young girl who seeks to jump into adulthood before she is ready—represents an innocent maiden turned victim to her insecurity, vanity, and curiosity.
An article Joyce Oates read in Life Magazine, about a young man who “enticed” and then killed several young women in Tucson, Arizona, acted as the inspiration for the story (Answers Corp.). In fact, it seems that Connie faces a similar fate. Before she exits the door through which Arnold stands, she thinks to herself, “I’m not going to see my mother again…I’m not going to sleep in my bed again.” While the conclusion of the story and Connie’s eventual fate is left ambiguous by the author, these hints are a clear foreshadowing of Connie’s death. Also, the story was originally titled, “Death and the Maiden” until Oates changed the story, making it more realistic and subtle.
More hints toward death and the devil are shown when Arnold first introduces himself to Connie. In response to Connie’s question, “What’s all that stuff painted on your car?” Arnold responds by telling her that his name is painted on the car. Then he continues on about other parts of the car including numbers that represent “a secret code.” “He read[s] off the numbers 33, 19, 17.” Surprisingly, in the 33rd book from the end of the Old Testament, 19th chapter, and 17th verse, the title of Oates’s story can be found as the quote “Whither goest thou? And whence comest thou?” Also, after the r’s are removed from the name Arnold Friend, the name spells An old Fiend.
Even Arnold’s physical description seems similar to that of the devil. In his frustration at Connie’s refusal to give in to her “temptations” and go along with his plans, Arnold’s smile momentarily drops from his face, but almost instantly, Connie once again “watche[s] his smile come, awkward as if he were smiling from inside a mask. His whole face was a mask.” Once Arnold is on the porch, Connie notices that “One of his boots was at a strange angle, as if his foot wasn’t in it. It pointed out to the left, bent at the ankle.” This fits the description of the devil, being that the devil is supposed to have hooves for feet.
Throughout the story, Arnold tries to force Connie to give in to her temptations. Connie’s fantasies about escaping her life, and her daydreams of alternate lifestyles serve as the pathway Arnold uses to gain control of Connie’s mind. Arnold successfully entrances Connie. Her wishes to hang out with the older guys and her desires to jump into an early adulthood leave her vulnerable to Arnold’s deceitful mind tricks. Arnold capitalizes upon Connie’s insecurities and innocence to lure her from her safe haven and into the devil’s clutches. (666)
"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? (Style)." Notes on Short Stories. Answers Corporation, 2006. Answers.com 30 Sep. 2008. http://www.answers.com/topic/where-are-you-going-where-have-you-been-story-5.
Discussion Questions:
1. Why do you think Connie walked out to Arnold at the end of the story?
2. Paragraph 135.
3. What is the role of Ellie, Arnold's friend?
4. Why do you think the author left out Connie's eventual fate?
5. What was the role of music in the story?
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Trusting Insanity
When I read "The Five-Forty Eight earlier this week, I had trouble deciding to which character I should give my trust. Who should I like and trust more, the cruel man who doesn't talk to his wife for up to two weeks at a time because she didn't cook him dinner and often finds weak women to prey on, or the literally insane woman with a gun who follows the main character, trying to somehow make herself feel better for the things he has done? Of course, I trusted the narrator at the beginning of the story, because we see the events and happenings of the story from his own perspective. It's not hard to trust a narrator who is running from a woman who might be trying to kill him, but as the reader learns soon enough, it's really much more complicated than that.
The story starts out with a seemingly normal, everyday man--Blake--walking to the train station after work to get home, but it quickly turns into a sort of twisted adventure in which the narrator is followed by a woman who we know nothing about. All the reader is told about the woman is that "she might be meaning to do [Blake] harm--she might be meaning to kill him." At this point, the reader instantly roots for the narrator. The reader hopes he can get away from the woman, even though it seems unlikely. Blake, pondering an escape, even thinks, "He could run--although he was afraid that if he did run, it might precipitate the violence he now felt sure she had planned." Finally, the reader is given more information on the situation. We learn what relationship Ms. Dent, the woman following him, and Blake share.
At this point, Blake, the narrator, begins to lose the readers trust. Six months ago, when Blake hired Ms. Dent, he believed her to be "oversensitive, and as a consequence, lonely." He even "recognized a particular feeling of deprivation" in Ms. Dent. Despite all of this, he threw away the rose she had given him, telling her that he didn't like roses. What's worse is that Blake even had the "feeling that she had been the victim of some inner--some emotional--conflict." Even though Blake knew about the delicate state of his employee, he chose to sleep with her and then fire her the next day. The reader is then informed of the true nature of Blake, a cruel man who searches for vulnerable woman to prey upon. Ms. Dent is not the first one he has done this to, and as the reader finds out later in the story, she is probably not the last either. Before Blake sleeps with Ms. Dent, he even says, "Her diffidence, the feeling of deprivation in her point of view, promised to protect him from any consequences. Most of the many women he had known had been picked for their lack of self-esteem." Here, Blake is portrayed as an extremely dishonorable man who hunts women who are lacking confidence and stable emotional states. At this point the reader does not know who to trust.
We follow Blake, as he walks from work to the train, aware that Ms. Dent is following him closely. Soon after Blake sits down in the train, Ms. Dent appears and sits down beside him. Here, the reader learns about Ms. Dent's insanity, and her stay at the hospital. She discourages him from trying to escape with a pistol held in her pocketbook. Then, she asks him to read the letter she wrote to him. The letter, which addresses Blake as husband, shows the reader the extent of Ms. Dent's insanity, but this is where the reader begins to side with and trust Ms. Dent over Blake.
With a gun pointed at his belly, Blake has some time for reflection, but instead of feeling regret for the less noble things he has done, he only "regrets his lack of suspicion when she first mentioned her months in the hospital." The reader also learns about Blake's cruel nature. When his wife failed to prepare supper for him one night, he cold heartedly told her that he would not speak to her for two weeks. Once all of this is put into perspective, the reader sees Blake as the antagonist and wrongdoer of the story, not Ms. Dent. Ms. Dent gains more credibility with the reader.
So, does Ms. Dent's insanity affect how the reader feels about her in the story? In the end, no, her insanity does not discredit her in the eyes of the reader. The reader sees that Blake is the one who is wrong. He is the one who needs to change, even though his cold hearted indifference prevents him from doing so at the end of the story. In fact, Ms. Dent's insanity tells us something about Blake. Blake, in comparison to Ms. Dent, seems to be the insane one. He is the one with the flaw. Ms. Dent's insanity allows the reader to see this, and fully understand Blake's character. (849)
The story starts out with a seemingly normal, everyday man--Blake--walking to the train station after work to get home, but it quickly turns into a sort of twisted adventure in which the narrator is followed by a woman who we know nothing about. All the reader is told about the woman is that "she might be meaning to do [Blake] harm--she might be meaning to kill him." At this point, the reader instantly roots for the narrator. The reader hopes he can get away from the woman, even though it seems unlikely. Blake, pondering an escape, even thinks, "He could run--although he was afraid that if he did run, it might precipitate the violence he now felt sure she had planned." Finally, the reader is given more information on the situation. We learn what relationship Ms. Dent, the woman following him, and Blake share.
At this point, Blake, the narrator, begins to lose the readers trust. Six months ago, when Blake hired Ms. Dent, he believed her to be "oversensitive, and as a consequence, lonely." He even "recognized a particular feeling of deprivation" in Ms. Dent. Despite all of this, he threw away the rose she had given him, telling her that he didn't like roses. What's worse is that Blake even had the "feeling that she had been the victim of some inner--some emotional--conflict." Even though Blake knew about the delicate state of his employee, he chose to sleep with her and then fire her the next day. The reader is then informed of the true nature of Blake, a cruel man who searches for vulnerable woman to prey upon. Ms. Dent is not the first one he has done this to, and as the reader finds out later in the story, she is probably not the last either. Before Blake sleeps with Ms. Dent, he even says, "Her diffidence, the feeling of deprivation in her point of view, promised to protect him from any consequences. Most of the many women he had known had been picked for their lack of self-esteem." Here, Blake is portrayed as an extremely dishonorable man who hunts women who are lacking confidence and stable emotional states. At this point the reader does not know who to trust.
We follow Blake, as he walks from work to the train, aware that Ms. Dent is following him closely. Soon after Blake sits down in the train, Ms. Dent appears and sits down beside him. Here, the reader learns about Ms. Dent's insanity, and her stay at the hospital. She discourages him from trying to escape with a pistol held in her pocketbook. Then, she asks him to read the letter she wrote to him. The letter, which addresses Blake as husband, shows the reader the extent of Ms. Dent's insanity, but this is where the reader begins to side with and trust Ms. Dent over Blake.
With a gun pointed at his belly, Blake has some time for reflection, but instead of feeling regret for the less noble things he has done, he only "regrets his lack of suspicion when she first mentioned her months in the hospital." The reader also learns about Blake's cruel nature. When his wife failed to prepare supper for him one night, he cold heartedly told her that he would not speak to her for two weeks. Once all of this is put into perspective, the reader sees Blake as the antagonist and wrongdoer of the story, not Ms. Dent. Ms. Dent gains more credibility with the reader.
So, does Ms. Dent's insanity affect how the reader feels about her in the story? In the end, no, her insanity does not discredit her in the eyes of the reader. The reader sees that Blake is the one who is wrong. He is the one who needs to change, even though his cold hearted indifference prevents him from doing so at the end of the story. In fact, Ms. Dent's insanity tells us something about Blake. Blake, in comparison to Ms. Dent, seems to be the insane one. He is the one with the flaw. Ms. Dent's insanity allows the reader to see this, and fully understand Blake's character. (849)
Monday, September 22, 2008
Revelations of a Wart Hog
Last week, I was posed with a curious question about "Revelation, by Flannery O'Connor": Did Mrs. Turpin, the wart hog from hell, truly experience a genuine revelation that evening beside the pig parlor, or was it just a superficial moment that would remain in Mrs. Turpin's mind only temporarily? While the reader could take it either way, I strongly believe that Mrs. Turpin really did change permanently after God sent her an answer in her echo. What would be the point of the story if she didn't experience a revelation? But, Mrs. Turpin, the big, looming, and commanding woman who feels a sense of superiority, does change into a woman who understands that all human beings were created equal.
There is no evidence in the story to support the idea that Mrs. Turpin does not experience a genuine revelation. In fact, everything points toward the idea that she was awestruck by the vision she saw and the answer she received from God. Beside the pig parlor, she screams, "Who do you think you are?" This same question is then "returned to her like an answer from beyond the wood." It is this delicate moment in which Mrs. Turpin shows change. It is at this point, where she holds a new perspective on life. When she hears the answer to her question, "She open[s] her mouth, but no sound [comes] out of it." Mrs. Turpin takes this moment and reflects upon her "virtous" life, and then she realizes that she is not the commanding, superior woman she once thought she was. In fact, right after this moment, she acknowledges that Claud's truck looked like a "child's toy" in the distance. She then thinks to herself, "At any moment a bigger truck might smash into it and scatter Claud's and the niggers' brains all over the road." Her sense of helplessness here leads to her ultimate revelation.
All of the evidence leads to this ultimate revelation. The author is very clear in her language. "Mrs. Turpin remained [beside the pig pen] with her gaze bent as if she were absorbing some abysmal life-giving knowledge." If that's not enough, all doubt should be quenched when "a visionary light settle[s] in her eyes."
It doesn't matter how extreme and inhumane her views and thoughts were in the doctor's waiting room--she can still experience a revelation and change. In the words of one of my classmates, "Change has to start somewhere. " This is where the change starts for Mrs. Turpin. The author gives us no reason to think that the change Mrs. Turping undergoes is only temporary. We know the vision impacts her when she remains completely immobile for a long period of time. Only after a length of time does she start to make her "slow way on the darkening path" to her house.
So, in answer to the question, yes, Mrs. Turpin, the mean old wart hog from hell does experience a genuine revelation that forces her to change. Her revelation from God shows her that anyone, regardless of class or social status, can climb "upward into the starry field."
(518)
There is no evidence in the story to support the idea that Mrs. Turpin does not experience a genuine revelation. In fact, everything points toward the idea that she was awestruck by the vision she saw and the answer she received from God. Beside the pig parlor, she screams, "Who do you think you are?" This same question is then "returned to her like an answer from beyond the wood." It is this delicate moment in which Mrs. Turpin shows change. It is at this point, where she holds a new perspective on life. When she hears the answer to her question, "She open[s] her mouth, but no sound [comes] out of it." Mrs. Turpin takes this moment and reflects upon her "virtous" life, and then she realizes that she is not the commanding, superior woman she once thought she was. In fact, right after this moment, she acknowledges that Claud's truck looked like a "child's toy" in the distance. She then thinks to herself, "At any moment a bigger truck might smash into it and scatter Claud's and the niggers' brains all over the road." Her sense of helplessness here leads to her ultimate revelation.
All of the evidence leads to this ultimate revelation. The author is very clear in her language. "Mrs. Turpin remained [beside the pig pen] with her gaze bent as if she were absorbing some abysmal life-giving knowledge." If that's not enough, all doubt should be quenched when "a visionary light settle[s] in her eyes."
It doesn't matter how extreme and inhumane her views and thoughts were in the doctor's waiting room--she can still experience a revelation and change. In the words of one of my classmates, "Change has to start somewhere. " This is where the change starts for Mrs. Turpin. The author gives us no reason to think that the change Mrs. Turping undergoes is only temporary. We know the vision impacts her when she remains completely immobile for a long period of time. Only after a length of time does she start to make her "slow way on the darkening path" to her house.
So, in answer to the question, yes, Mrs. Turpin, the mean old wart hog from hell does experience a genuine revelation that forces her to change. Her revelation from God shows her that anyone, regardless of class or social status, can climb "upward into the starry field."
(518)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Vicarious Liberations of a "Mentor"
The story, "A Teenage Wasteland," by Anne Tyler presents the reader with a very unusual and illogical, yet interesting situation: Donny, a misbehaving trouble child who gets bad grades is sent to a counselor/mentor who is similar to Donny himself--an irresponsible teen who will not obey rules or restrictions. The role of Donny's counselor Cal is one of subtle duplicity and selfishness. Daisy, Donny's mom, is having trouble controlling Donny, after she finds that he has been underperforming in school. She is given the recommedation to send Donny to a counselor named Cal in order to improve Donny's behavior and school performance. Instead of bringing about a solution, Cal manages to do the opposite, while still seeming to be the key to a solution.
When Daisy first meets Cal, she notices Cal's loud music playing in the house, his faded jeans, his "long and stringy" hair--similar to Donny's--and even his unprofessional office transformed from a dining room. Her gut feelings tell her that something about Cal is not right. Something about Cal and his house makes Daisy feel apprehensive, but she decides to try Cal out, willing to do almost anything to help her son.
At first, Cal seems to have a purely positive influence on Donny. His principal even telephoned Daisy to tell her how Donny had improved his attitude at school; surely his grades would follow suit. After successfully gaining Daisy's trust, Cal convinces Donny's parents to trust Donny more and give him more freedom. Again, while apprehensive at first, Daisy is convinced by Cal's cool, calm, and convincing nature. Unfortunately, Daisy soon receives a call from one of Donny's school teachers, who informes Daisy that Donny's grades have actually dropped significantly. Still, after being confronted, Cal convinces Daisy that everything will be okay, and that better grades will come with time, but as we soon learn, they never do.
Since Daisy is referred to Cal by a professional, and since Donny seems to be making slight progress in the beginning, the reader trusts Cal, but soon Cal begins to encourage distrust in the reader. Then we find out about Cal's ex-wife--a "really controlling lady" who "didn't understand Cal a bit." Cal had previously been married, but felt as though his wife controlled him too much, similar to the way Donny and mamy of the other teens Cal helps feel about their parents. About Cal, Donny even says, "you'd think he was our own age." To the reader, it becomes clear that Cal is just a grown teenager seeking to vicariously live through his tutees by liberating them from their "controlling" and "misunderstanding" parents.
All doubts about Cal's inabilities to help Donny perform well in school are erased when Donny gets expelled from school. And then, when Daisy is talking to Donny with Cal present, we see a mysteriously dark side of Cal. Cal, in response to Donny's request to apply at Brantly, shows actions that are a little disconcerting to the reader. Daisy finally notices Cal's darker side here. "She didn't like Cal's smile, which struck her now as feverish and acid--a smile of hunger."
In the end, Cal doesn't help Donny at all, who runs away from home eventually. Still, Daisy has trouble blaming Cal for anything, and wonders if Cal had helped or hurt the situation after all. (559)
When Daisy first meets Cal, she notices Cal's loud music playing in the house, his faded jeans, his "long and stringy" hair--similar to Donny's--and even his unprofessional office transformed from a dining room. Her gut feelings tell her that something about Cal is not right. Something about Cal and his house makes Daisy feel apprehensive, but she decides to try Cal out, willing to do almost anything to help her son.
At first, Cal seems to have a purely positive influence on Donny. His principal even telephoned Daisy to tell her how Donny had improved his attitude at school; surely his grades would follow suit. After successfully gaining Daisy's trust, Cal convinces Donny's parents to trust Donny more and give him more freedom. Again, while apprehensive at first, Daisy is convinced by Cal's cool, calm, and convincing nature. Unfortunately, Daisy soon receives a call from one of Donny's school teachers, who informes Daisy that Donny's grades have actually dropped significantly. Still, after being confronted, Cal convinces Daisy that everything will be okay, and that better grades will come with time, but as we soon learn, they never do.
Since Daisy is referred to Cal by a professional, and since Donny seems to be making slight progress in the beginning, the reader trusts Cal, but soon Cal begins to encourage distrust in the reader. Then we find out about Cal's ex-wife--a "really controlling lady" who "didn't understand Cal a bit." Cal had previously been married, but felt as though his wife controlled him too much, similar to the way Donny and mamy of the other teens Cal helps feel about their parents. About Cal, Donny even says, "you'd think he was our own age." To the reader, it becomes clear that Cal is just a grown teenager seeking to vicariously live through his tutees by liberating them from their "controlling" and "misunderstanding" parents.
All doubts about Cal's inabilities to help Donny perform well in school are erased when Donny gets expelled from school. And then, when Daisy is talking to Donny with Cal present, we see a mysteriously dark side of Cal. Cal, in response to Donny's request to apply at Brantly, shows actions that are a little disconcerting to the reader. Daisy finally notices Cal's darker side here. "She didn't like Cal's smile, which struck her now as feverish and acid--a smile of hunger."
In the end, Cal doesn't help Donny at all, who runs away from home eventually. Still, Daisy has trouble blaming Cal for anything, and wonders if Cal had helped or hurt the situation after all. (559)
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