Literary Techniques in Joyce Carol Oates Where are you...

Imagine yourself on a nice, sunny day. You are sitting outside in a lawn chair waiting for you hair to dry when suddenly, a boy comes to ask you to take you out. Joyce Carol Oates presents this image in â€Å"Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?† Not only is this a famous short story, it also presents symbols, motifs, and themes that people who read the story can relate to. Oates shows teenage rebellion and bliss in her short story. The title can provide significance with the relationship between Connie and Arnold Friend. Oates provides themes in the story that makes the reader wonder where Connie is going with her life including her independence, her maturity, and her world that’s fantasy against reality. The idea of maturity is presented through the main character, Connie. Maturity is one of the themes presented, and even though Connie tries so hard to be an adult, she still shows childlike ways. When Connie is shopping, Joyce portrays Connie as having a â€Å"walk that could be childlike and bobbing, or languid enough to make anyone think she was hearing music in her head† (324). She also portrays an inner child conscious when it comes to her mother. Connie believes that her mother was simple and it was cruel to be able to trick her so easily. Even though her childlike ways show in the story, she also shows moments where her maturity is real. While Connie and her friends are going shopping, a boy in their high school invites them over to his car. Through the girls’ point ofShow MoreRelatedEssay on Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been1312 Words   |  6 PagesWhere Are You Going, Where Have You Been by Joyce Carol Oates â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been†, is one of the many short stories written by Mrs. Joyce Carol Oates that has become highly recognized. It was inspired by a magazine story about a serial killer. It quickly it became very popular andwas even the basis for the 1985 hit movie, â€Å"SmoothTalk†. Like many other short stories and novels written by Joyce Carol Oates, â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been† is a story thatRead MoreVerbal Irony In Harry Potter1711 Words   |  7 PagesThe Oxford Dictionary of English defines irony as a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character s words or actions is clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character. Irony― the difference between appearance and reality ―is a literary device evident throughout all literature as either situational irony, dramatic irony, or verbal irony. Surprising readers, situational irony contradicts the expected outcome of the story. ForRead MoreHarveys Dream and Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?1707 Words   |  7 Pageswill be analyzing and comparing is â€Å"Harvey’s Dream† by Stephen King, and â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† by Joyce Carol Oates. These two stories are similar in many ways, and they can be compared critically based on their diction, point of view, similarities in narration, characterization, tone, et cetera. Though the stories are from different authors and have different plots, by comparing their literary techniques, their similarities can be unearthed. Stephen King’s â€Å"Harvey’s Dream†Read MoreWhere Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Essay2193 Words   |  9 Pagesreading Joyce Carol Oates’ short story â€Å"Where are you going, where have you been?† and Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find,† readers will dismiss the idea of the existence of any similarity in the stories of a fifteen year old girl and a grandmother. However, upon closer inspection, it is easy to appreciate how these two seemingly polar opposites are actually structured to invoke the same feelings in readers and to explore the same concepts. A close examination of â€Å"Where are you goingRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe And The Cask Of Amontillado2158 Words   |  9 PagesEdgar Allan Poe; a famous all American Poet, short story writer and critic. Some of his most famous writings include Raven and The Cask of Amontillado. His writings all include horror or some type of mystery. Edgar did n ot have the â€Å"white picket fence† type of life. His was like riding on a rollercoaster, full of difficulties, but he turned out to be a writing genius. But I think that alcohol, and unsupportive family impacted Poe’s writing style, as well as the difficulties in his life. EdgarRead MoreEudora Welty a Worn Path12166 Words   |  49 Pageswoods of Mississippi to the town of Natchez. The story won an O. Henry Prize the year it was published and later appeared in Weltys collection The Wide Net. Since then, it has been frequently anthologized. At first the story appears simple, but its mythic undertones and ambiguity gives a depth and richness that has been praised by critics. Welty has said that she was inspired to write the story after seeing an old African−American woman walking alone across the southern landscape. In A Worn PathRead MoreEudora Welty a Worn Path12173 Words   |  49 Pageswoods of Mississippi to the town of Natchez. The story won an O. Henry Prize the year it was published and later appeared in Weltys collection The Wide Net. Since then, it has been frequently anthologized. At first the story appears simple, but its mythic undertones and ambiguity gives a depth and richness that has been praised by critics. Welty has said that she was inspired to write the story after seeing an old African−American woman walking alone across the southern landscape. In A Worn Path