Fantasy Vs. Reality Where are you going, Where have you...

Fantasy versus Reality in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates has a constant theme of reality and fantasy running parallel for 15 year old Connie. This short story begins with a description of Connie’s vain personality. The narrator describes her as pretty and self-centered (Oates 421). To emphasize her selfishness, Connie is contrasted with her sister, June, who is chubby, plain, and well-behaved. Connie’s mother always praises June for her work ethic and help around the house, but says Connie can’t do anything due to â€Å"trashy daydreams†. There isn’t much of a father figure in Connie’s life due to her father being away for work most of the time and detached when†¦show more content†¦She tries to relate to sex through popular music that romanticizes relationships and life. The short reveals how it affects Connie when she is listening to a popular radio station, â€Å"†¦bathed in a glow of slow-pulsed joy that seemed to rise mysteriously out of the music itself and lay languidly about the airless little room† (Oates 424). Additionally, Connie felt her date with Eddie was similar to â€Å"the way it was in movies and promised in songs†(Oates 424). She felt she was living the dream and was beginning to relate to this sexualized, romantic media. In Marie Mitchell and Olesen Urbanski’s literary review of the story, they state â€Å"the recurring music then, while ostensibly innocuous realistic detail, is in fact, the vehicle of Connies seduction and because of its intangibility, not immediately recognizable as such† (1). However, Arnold Friend was quick to remind her of her young age and innocence at the end of the story. When Connie first hears a car pulling up in her driveway, her attention is immediately directed to her hair and looks. She isn’t concerned as much about who is outside or what they want, but how see will look to them. When she initially sees Arnold she is attracted to his style and car. He is muscular in tight faded jeans and a drives a bright gold jalopy. His image is everything that Connie has fantasized about and can relate to. Arnold is even playingShow MoreRelatedThe Youngest Doll1174 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout the year we have read many stories where reality and fantasy come into question. Once again we have this same problem with â€Å"The Youngest Doll†. What makes us question reality or fantasy in the story is the vivid description the author gives of the dolls that the aunt makes for the girls. With the description of the â€Å"wax mask of the child’s face† or the â€Å"porcelain of the hands and face†, it gives off the allusion that what may seem as a reality may in fact be a fantasy and it is that allusionRead 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 â€Å"stranger† (Arnold Friend). 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