Here is a haunting version of Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue". Joyce has said she was inspired to write "Where are you Going? Where have you Been?" after listening to this song.
Here is the Life magazine article on the murders that inspired Arnold Friend and "Where are you Going? Where have you Been?" :https://docs.google.com/a/episcopalacademy.org/document/d/1kVtIuZWfsUa9xBH5s7l_YcW8L2dr1M6TdVM1HghGxg0/edit?pli=1
Comment Assignment:
1. I would like you to pick one quote that you feel is significant from the story and post it the comments section. Quotes cannot be used more than once, so check out your classmates' comments before posting.
2. In the same comment: ask 2 questions you have about any aspect of the story.
3. Again, in the same comment, answer the question: Why does Connie open the door and go with Arnold Friend?
"He stared at her, and then his lips widened into a grin.. [he] laughed and said 'Gonna get you, baby.'" This is an episode of very creepy foreshadowing when Connie first sees Arnold Friend.
ReplyDelete1.I always wonder how he knew so much about her.
2. Who does Ellie represent?
This is Connie's one, true selfless and admirable action. She goes with Arnold Friend at the end of the story because 1) she is terrified and tired of him threatening her, and she succumbs to him. 2) She does not want her family to get involved with this horrific man. She wants to keep her family safe, because Connie can tell that he is dangerous.
"You're a hard girl to handle. How come?" he said. "Don't you know I'm your friend? Didn't you see me put my sign in the air when you walked by?"
ReplyDelete"What sign?"
"My sign." And he drew an X in the air, leaning out toward her.
I know this isn't just one quote but, I thought that these ones were significant. That is because he was after Connie as soon as he saw her and she showed that by putting up the X.
1. How does Arnold know where Connie's family is?
2. Why did Arnold choose to come after Connie and not just another teenage girl?
Connie has no choice to leave with Arnold because 1) if she had called the cops he would come after her into the house 2) she did not want her family getting hurt by him. So, Connie's only choice is to leave with Arnold Friend.
1. "Her heart began to pound and her fingers snatched at her hair, checking it, and she whispered 'Christ, Christ,' wondering how bad she looked." (587)
ReplyDelete2. Does she wake up on the porch or is the entire thing a dream? Is all the information he tells her about herself apart of the dream- things that she would know about herself?
3. Connie goes with Arnold Friend because she has a lack of control of herself. She craves attention, and when he gives it to her it is hard to resist. Connie is also very nervous, not even able to call the police because her body freezes up. If this story is a dream, it makes sense that she would follow him because in dreams characters do things without explanation sometimes.
1. "Honey--? Listen, here's how it is. I always tell the truth and I promise you this: I ain't coming in that house after you." This confirmed my theory that Arnold was the devil because the devil is not allowed to go inside unless invited. He was probably lying when he said he always told the truth though.
ReplyDelete2a. What happened to Connie after she stepped outside at the end of the book?
2b. Was the whole experience just a dream?
3. Connie goes with Arnold because I think not only she likes how he showers her with compliments, but also because she is in some sort of daze. We see that when the car pulls up, Connie doesn't run and hide, she flirts with the boy and towards the end, it seems she has no control over what she is doing. Connie drops the phone, kicks it away, and describes herself as being empty which are the effects of the devils persuasion.
"This place you are now—inside your daddy's house—is nothing but a cardboard box I can knock down any time. You know that and always did know it. You hear me?" I think this is significant because it is said by Arnold Friend, who represents the devil, perhaps signifying that evil is within all of us, yet we can choose whether it has an effect or not.
ReplyDelete1. Is this a nightmare or is this reality?
2. What land is Connie referring to in the last sentence?
If this is reality, I frankly don't understand why Connie would go with him. Hasn't she learned about stranger danger?! Maybe she felt flattered by Arnold's compliments and his fascination with her, and was compelled to follow him. If this is a dream, perhaps it is symbolic for something that was current in her life. It could symbolize that she lost some sort of innocence, hence her yielding to the devil, or that she lost some sort of safety, as she leaves the comfort of her home.
"And Connie paid close attention herself, 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, breathed in and breathed out with each gentle rise and fall of her chest."(p. 587) Oates writes this right before the incident with Arnold Friend. I believe this quote is used to create an illusion, as Oates uses careful wording to make the rest of the story appear to be a dream. After reading this story I wondered if Oates intended for that part of the story to be a dream. I also would like to know the significance of the "secret code" written on Arnold's car. I believe that Connie goes with Arnold Friend because it is her sub-concious telling her through what seems to be a dream that she must not act the way she does and expect to be insuperable to the dangers of the world. Her vain, provocative actions may end up hurting others, such as her family, while also hurting herself. By giving into evil during her dream she is receiving the inevitable outcome of getting in severe trouble in reality.
ReplyDelete1. "She was fifteen and she has a quick nervous giggling habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors, or checking other people's faces to make sure her own was alright." (page 584) This quote is significant because it tells readers that Connie knows that she is pretty and she is not afraid to show it. Also, it demonstrates how much Connie cares about other people's opinions of her.
ReplyDelete2. Doesn't the fact that Connie simply "can't" call the police prove that it is a dream? If it is not a dream, then what is going on in this scene? Also, even when Arnold said that he knew everything about her, Connie did not seem that creeped out. Why?
3. Firstly, Connie may have gone with Arnold Friend because she did not want her family to be harmed. Especially however, she went with Arnold Friend because she lacks self control. Connie yearns for attention and praise, and that is exactly what Arnold Friend was offering her. Even though she knew that it was not a smart decision, Connie was unable to restrain herself.
"Stop gawking at yourself. Who are you? You think your so pretty?"
ReplyDeleteIn the short story "Where are you Going? Where have you been? I have many questions. My first one is did Connie eventually die? Also why did Joyce Carol Oates write this story after hearing "Them, It's All Over Now, Baby Blue?" And how did this really inspire her, where did she hear it, also how was her life going at the time she hear it.
At the end I believe Connie went with Arnold because she didn't want to get her family hurt. Also I think she went with her because she also found some cuteness and mystery withing Arnold. Maybe even a crush? It was sad to see how she couldn't control herself into not going with him too.
"Connie couldn't do a thing, her mind was all filled with trashy daydreams."
ReplyDeleteThis is foreshadowing how she cannot do a thing when Arnold commands her to leave the house ,she feels forced and trapped.
1. I was confused about the significance of Arnold being unsteady on his feet.
2. I would also like to know why the shape of the drive-in is important.
3. Connie goes with Arnold for two main reasons. The first is that she enjoyed the "rebellious" side a bit more than the calm side of her life. Reason number two is that she wanted her family to be safe, which is a very noble and respectable idea. However, there were definitely better ways to ensure her family's safety.
"Connie had a quick, nervous giggling habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors or checking other people's faces to make sure her own was all right." (Oates, 1)
ReplyDelete1. The main thing that i was confused about while reading this short story is whether or not connie was living in a dream.
2. I also would like to know the true meaning of the reoccurrences of the flies in the short story.
3. I believe that Connie opens the door to go with Arnold friend because although in her mind she knew that she shouldn't, her mind was telling her one thing as her body was doing another. I believe that just like she had trouble moving towards the phone to call the police, Connie had trouble keeping herself away from opening the door. Connie had many internal conflicts during this conflict in the short story. I also believe that Connie went with Arnold Friend because she didn't want her family coming home early and being harmed by Arnold and Ellie, so she made a brave decision to sacrifice herself, instead of putting her family in danger.
1. "It was as if the idea of going for a ride somewhere, to someplace, was a new idea to him." Connie says this about Arnold when he comes to her house. This is like her idea of messing around with boys. She thinks she knows everything, but she hasn't really experienced much.
ReplyDelete2. Why didn't Connie call the police? Even if he would have been able to get to her anyway, why wouldn't Connie at least try to contact someone before she was taken? Did Connie want to be taken?
Why was, "Man the Flying Saucers" the phrase Arnold had on his car? Does it have any significance?
3. Connie opens the door and goes with Arnold partly to keep her family safe. The other part is that Connie wanted to go with him. Arnold is the danger that Connie has never experienced before. She wants to leave behind the shelter of her home and actually see the world.
1. "Why don't you keep your room clean like your sister? How've you got your hair fixed - what the hell stinks? Hair spray? You don't see your sister using that junk." (p. 615) Connie is constantly compared to her boring sister, June, and doesn't want to be anything like her.
ReplyDelete2. Was the whole thing a dream? What happened to Connie after she left her house?
3. Connie goes with Arnold mostly to keep her family safe. He knew where they all were and a lot of information about her family, which scared her. Connie also leaves because she loves attention and flirts with boys all the time. She knows she's pretty, and Arnold seems dangerous to her, which is intriging her.
"She spoke sullenly, careful to show no interest or pleasure, and he spoke in a fast, bright monotone. Connie looked past him to the other boy, taking her time."(i don't have page numbers)
ReplyDelete1. Does she die or wake up from a dream
2. Why was Connie not freaked out when Arnold recited her personal info
Connie goes with him because all she is concerned about is her looks and having a good time. When she saw him, she worried about herself, not the fact he could pose any kind of danger
1.She put out her hand against the screen. She watched herself push the door slowly open as if she were back safe somewhere in
ReplyDeletethe other doorway, watching this body and this head of long hair moving out into the sunlight where Arnold Friend waited.
2. Why doesn't she have any control over her body?
3.Connie goes with Arnold Friend, but she doesn't have any control over her body, and she is extremely disoriented, possibly because she is dreaming.
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ReplyDelete1.) "I'll hold you so tight you won't think you have to try to get away or pretend anything because you'll know you can't. (Oates, page 591) This quote shows the sociopathic mentality behind Arnold Friend's sleek and inviting outer layer of his personality.
ReplyDelete2.) What role does the detailed descriptions of Connie's family play in accentuating the bold characters and conflicts in the story?
3.) Connie is presented as someone who tends to conform and take part in social norms that get her noticed, even at the own expense of herself and others. Why does Arnold covet Connie specifically when there a theoretically other girls who act in ways similar to Connie.
4.) Connie makes the decision to join Arnold Friend as a result of her physical and mental strength. As she begins to deny him in their encounter, he makes physical threats towards her, promising that he would be able to enter her house upon her calling the police. Part of the reason that she joined Arnold was the fact that she knew that she could not escape him, knowing that the threat of physical harm was looming above her if she did not join him. Perhaps the more delicate and powerful reason was her lack of mental strength. Her encounter with Arnold is a constant struggle between what she really wants and what she knows is right. In this case, she knows that going with Arnold will lead to her ultimate destruction, but she secretly wants to join him. This is because Arnold knows exactly what she wants and uses this to lure her into his clutches. Because he is noticing her and desiring her (two things she wants desperately throughout the story), she is tempted by him to join her, even though she knows that she is going to her death. This lack of mental strength causes her to be tempted by the actually devil.