Mystery And Suspense In Where Is Here By Joyce Carol Oates

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” was published in 1966 by Joyce Carol Oates. The story follows a girl, Connie, who encounters a mysterious man. She catches him watching her walk away with another boy, but doesn’t bother to think of him. As the days pass, she is stuck home alone to do whatever she wants; she enjoys her day relaxing—daydreaming about boys—until a car drives up to her house. Who might it be? The man… the man we soon call as Arnold Friend. Connie’s failure to look beyond her fantasies makes her prone to manipulation and deception; so one of her major character flaws is naiveté.

Characterisation is important in any short story as it helps to make the story that little bit more appealing, because it’s a short story, it is important to get the characterisation right as we don’t have hundreds of pages to learn about the character, in fact we only really have a page or two, maybe even less depending on the story, we might only have paragraphs to learn about the character. When looking at characterisation in the short story, you have too keep in mind, which character catches your eye? Is it the main character? Is it a supporting character? Why do they appeal to you? How does the author of the short story portray and reveal the character? The idea of characterisation is literally an act of describing certain characteristics,

Joyce Carol Oates's short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” was written in 1966 and twenty years later was made into a movie entitled Smooth Talk by Joyce Chopra, winner of the 1985 U.S. Film Festival for best dramatic picture. The writing by Oates is loosely based on a true story known as “The Pied Piper of Tucson.” The most significant differences based on the story and movie are the father-daughter relationship with Connie and Chopra’s changing the mother’s attitude toward her. Even with these changes, however, the character of Connie and her creepy stalker Arnold Friend remain the same.

The short story “Where is Here” by Joyce Carol Oats introduces us to a very complex character, labeled the stranger. The author uses the method of indirect characterization, which results in the reader making their own assumptions of the character. Indirect characterization includes some of the following: stranger’s appearance, speech, actions, private thoughts, as well as the reactions of others. The previously stated categories are the things we will analyze and draw conclusions from.

Characters play a major role in ensuring that the novels can be read and comprehended. However, the success of a novel is dependent on the quality of characterization and whether they will attract the

The relationship between a novelist and characters is very complex as not all characters are composed by great novelist. Some characters will be very flawed and have uncaring writers creating them just for money. Other characters will be composed by an artist who is loving and creates the characters and novel because they truly enjoy to write and create novels for the joy of themselves and their readers. Having a caring or uncaring author is what makes the relationship between a novelist and characters

Where is Here? was written by Joyce Carol Oates. Joyce wrote novels and stories concerning individuals whose ordinary lives are suddenly upset by mysterious forces beyond their control. The mysterious force in this story is the stranger. The family is interrupted in the preparation of supper by the stranger who wants to look around his childhood home. The mysterious force of the stranger brings into question whether or not he is a ghost or time traveler, and what has happened to the sister.

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates is based on a real-life event of Charles Schmid Jr. and the murder of multiple girls. The short story is designed around this historical event and has several key points that are comparable to both the story and the event. This story starts with a girl Connie who, like any typical teenager, is very flirtatious with a lot of guys; one person, in particular, Arnold Friend, is portrayed as a cougar. He shows up to Connie’s place, takes her somewhere and what's left is an inferred cliffhanger. The short story gives a more effective ending as it leaves the reader in a state of deep and complex thought in relations to the sudden and abrupt ending. Threats such as burning Connie’s house down, stopping her heart, and “going for a ride” are red flags that hint at Connie’s near future.

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been is a short story originally written by Joyce Carol Oates. It was first published in 1996 and immediately faced sufficient criticism and public discussions. This story involves both surreal myth and deep psychological realism which obviously distinguish this writing among other works of the author. In the center of the narration is a young girl named Connie. She is fifteen years old and is experiencing quite a turbulent period of her life. Her mother constantly compares her to her older sister and this factor only intensifies Connie's feeling that her mother does not understand her. In the story, the world of Connie is quite contradictory as well as her character itself. Nevertheless, it remains interesting to explore until the very last page of Oates' writing.

What would you do if you and your families lives were at stake? This was something that I pondered about while interpreting the story of,” Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” by Joyce Carol Oates. Oates wrote this short story to create suspense. It really leaves you on edge. The most suspense would have to be at the end of the story. Oates leaves you falling off of a cliff as to what would happen to Connie and her family. It makes me ponder if this was just a dream or reality to them.

The antagonist of “Where are you going, Where have you been” written by Joyce Carol Oates, is no ordinary guy. Arnold Friends,a dynamic, round character with a charming but controlling personality, seems to be the embodiment of Atropos. A greek deity known as the moirai who is said to be the controller of fate, or specifically, one’s death. He talks a lot but reveal nothing about himself, a sign of emotionally manipulative person, someone who is able to zero in on one’s weakness, like Connie’s romantic fantasies.) Like the typical bad boy archetype he offered to take her away from the dull drone of her suburban life. But that explain how it links to arnold being atropos lmao/how death takes you away. With the quality of a calm and deep, sing-song

Character is a very important element of fiction because without characters, a story falls apart because readers only care about the plot and other aspects of fiction because of how it affects a character or characters. Characterization is the process with which the writer reveals the personality of a character or characters. Characterization can also help reveal the relationship between characters and how they feel about each other. If a writer knows how to use characterization properly, he or she can really bring the story and characters to life for the reader. “My Kid’s Dog” by Ron Hansen is an excellent example of how

Character are often times really the only thing that needs to be interesting for the story to be worth while. Veritably, reading about experiences through a character is far more engaging than directly being told advice or analysis. That is because narratives are almost always based in inherently human ideas/feelings and that is what most take and/or want to take away when they read one. A great example is “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, where the main focus is the guilt the narrator feels after his actions towards his brother. It’s about a boy who has a brother with health problems, who he’s trying to fix into someone he won’t be ashamed of or have to constantly look after. Throughout the story one can see how the narrator

We all have been there. After a long days work, all we are thinking about is getting home. As you head towards your car, you notice the darkness around you and suddenly feel that you are not alone. Your pace increases and you begin to sweat mildly. If you could just get there, you’d be safe. Suddenly, you hear a noise and decide the best thing for you to do is ignore it. As you approach you car and unlock it, you sigh with relief that you’ve finally have made it. For many, our minds play tricks on us when we feel a moment of fear, however for others it may turn out to be their worst nightmare. In the story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, a young girl is forced to make a decision

The result of these characteristics give each story suspense and mystery, leaving the readers wondering what each character will do next and what further action will take place. Characters hold a primary role in determining the outcome of a story, which is the reasoning behind the many similarities and differences among literary characters. Also, a clear example is the similar plots with two completely different outcomes. Once the audience understands a character, they are capable of building on their existing knowledge to foreshadow events or understand the text more logically, which is evident when reading these