The Final Answer: The reading of Joyce Carol Oats “Where Are You Traveling. Where You Have You Been? ”
Joyce Carol Oats publishes the short narrative “Where Are You Traveling. Where Have You Been? ” in the late 1960ss. The narrative leaves the reader believing what the concluding result to the secret plan was. Uncovering several accounts all taking to a negative result. Joyce leaves the reader chew overing what the concluding result to the narrative is. In my sentiment Joyce wrote this narrative with this intent to go forth the reader himself to reply what happens in the terminal of the narrative.
The narrative revolves around a immature miss named Connie. Connie is a 15 twelvemonth old miss who considers the universe to be a happy topographic point. In this phase. Connie is focused on how she looks ; doing certain the everyone else knows how pretty she was. Joyce makes the reader aware that the universe revolves around Connie. Oats mentions how much Connie felt that the she was fundamentally the chief miss by saying. “Connie idea that her female parent preferred her to June [ Connie’s older sister ] merely because she was prettier. ” 1
As we read into the narrative. we see Connie as a adolescent who lives existent life as a fantasy dream. She has two character. one at place and one when she is out. Her lone focal point is boys and being in love. She tries to look older and wiser than what she truly is and her caput is filled with reveries and popular music related to love affair and love. As Oats would name it “shrieking vocals she [ Connie ] sang along with” . ( pg. 2 ) What she is non cognizant of that her phantasy universe is traveling to be destroyed by one cat who drops Connie from cloud nine all the manner down to the centre of the universe. giving her a true significance of world cheque. When Arnold Friend arrives at Connie’s house. she must face the worlds of maturity. Giving Connie a baffled idea between world and her fantasy land.
As more and more we read. we reach the flood tide of the narrative where Arnold is standing outside her house stating Connie that he is her lover and that she must travel with him. If you truly analyse this character in the narrative. at first he seems like an older adolescent who fits in with the remainder of the younger male childs in the eating house. As the reader. we subsequently come to recognize that he is an old creepy adult male whose purposes are to undermine the lives of Connie. As so he stated “Gonne acquire you. baby’’ ( pg 2 ) . When the brush between Connie and Arnold go on. Connie realizes he is non the immature male child she thought of him to be. Oats made Arnold a stalking adult male who wanted to ravish. seduce. nobble. or even kill Connie.
Towards the terminal of the narrative. Connie is found in a state of affairs where she is being forced to travel with this cat. Through his marbless and comments. Arnold has Connie cornered to non holding any other pick but to travel with them. The diabolic figure that appears to be Arnold. threatens Connie with her household and moving like no 1 cares for her he convinces Connie that she is a cipher in this universe. The narrative ends go forthing us in uncertainty what happens in the terminal. In my sentiment. all Arnold was looking for was to ravish and kill Connie.
As he referred to her as “My sweet small bluish eyed girl” even though she has brown eyes. we realize that Arnold is non interested in her but in taking her childhood off in the signifier of his persuasion. ( pg. 8 ) So as a consequence. I finished the terminal of the narrative with Connie leaves with Arnold and gets raped. He lets her spell and leaves to happen another miss to destroy her life. As Oats stated in the narrative. He was like a wolf “Sniffing as if she [ Connie ] were a dainty he was traveling to bolt up and it was all a gag. ” ( pg 4 )
