Assignment

Terry 1

Tyler Terry

Professor Linda Griffin

Houston Community College

Engl 1302

17 October 2020

Evil in humankind continues to exist for generations as demonstrated in “Where Are You Going. Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates

Introduction

Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Have You Been. Where Are You Going?” is an effective story that asks pertinent questions regarding humanity and the existence of evil. It seeks to demystify the nature that evil embodies to explain why the world experiences suffering. The story also questions the occurrence of bad things to good people. The symbolism that the story exudes is captivating and relatable to many life events around evil. Connie, the protagonist, experiences episodes of unfortunate encounters that show the evil side of other people. She grows up as a rebellious youngster who is hell-bent on living her life outside her mother’s boundaries. Arnold Friend, the antagonist comes up to build this intriguing narration to symbolize evil. The implication from the story is that Friend rapes Connie and takes her life. It brings out his personification of the devil and cruelty, violence and constant danger. The story develops while giving an illustrative picture of the aggravation of evil from threats to physical abuse and a presumed death. “Where Are You Going? Where Have you been?” is found on the principal theme of evil that evokes a reader’s reflection on the place of evil in our soul’s and the society.

Arnold Friend’s Embodiment of Evil and Today

Oates explores the faces that good and evil wear in the society through Connie’s story. The antagonist, Friend, is the embodiment of societal evil for all reasons. Friend’s character is borrowed from a real-life criminal named Charles Howard Schmid, a serial killer in the United States in the 1960s. The origin of this evil starts with Connie’s troubled life. She lives in an environment that she does not find comfortable. Her mother is constantly forcing her to emulate her sister’s ways. Theriot writes “Connie is vain and self-centered. Oates herself admits…” (Theriot 13). The comparative absence of Connie’s father worsens the situation because the teenage girls lack the fatherly guidance. “Connie’s description of her beauty being “everything” can be interpreted to mean that she would feel worthless without it, that she is nothing without her pretty face” (Holmen 2). Connie is relentlessly rebellious against the regulations that her mother introduces to curb her movements. Holmen writes that “Connie’s insecurity about her own self-worth also falls under the category of low self-esteem” (Holmen 4). Consequently, she gets herself involved in social interactions that create an environment for sexual predator, Friend to pursue his ulterior motive effortlessly. The manifestation of evil occurs when Friend adamantly shows his interest in Connie. He tries to woo her in vain. He causes mayhem because Connie declines his request to come outside their house. She is terrified to see the stranger waving and talking to her. Despite a previous encounter, the two had not struck a strong friendship that would grant Friend the chance to come to Connie’s house. Evil manifests when Friend pulls the trigger to forcefully command Connie to come out for a ride. Unfortunately, Connie is alone at home since her mother and sister went outside for a barbecue. The danger and tension that she faces when Friend arrives in their compound with a friend is inexplicable. These are events that symbolize the vulnerability that human beings face in their routine life.

It is undoubtedly realistic that any person can go through any situation that they lack prior knowledge. God works mysteriously and any human being’s moment can turn into a catastrophe. The events that transpired before Friend came by did not signal what would happen. Connie had washed her beautiful hair, sat outside and later went inside the house. Friend exemplifies this evil through his hypnotic power that he exerts over Connie. He also possesses delicate information on Connie’s family and the details on where they went for a barbecue. He stands as the “devil” because of the nature of his operations when he reaches at Connie’s home. He seems to wear a façade that helps him to get away with the crime that he commits.

Arnold Friend’s Deceptive Character and Today’s Evil

The maiden encounter that Connie has with Friend is at the drive-in’s parking lot. She notices a strange boy that wags fingers at her while uttering “Gonna get you baby” to signal that he is interested in her. His appearance at this time is that of a teenage boy. He is driving his golden car and Connie presumes he is just a boy hitting on her casually. However, the story progresses and Friend brings bizarre visitation to Connie’s home. He comes at an opportune time when the parents and June, Connie’s sister are out. Connie notices an important revelation that Friend looks different from the last time that she saw her. His hair is akin to a black wig. He also appears to have gained some tallness by inserting something in his shoes. His age is different from the teenager that he was pretending to be at first. He’s an old person possessing a car with many sayings that are outdated and bizarre numbers.

The deceptive character that Friend wears is a sinister plan to seduce Connie. Friend possibly resolved to return to his true colors when he was ready to accomplish his mission. At first, he was trying to fit in the group of teenage boy that randomly hit on ladies. He ended up changing the look to remain real to show his real age to Connie. Friend understood that Connie is attracted to youngsters and wearing attire associating with them would give him a competitive advantage over others.

The deception that Friend uses at first is an indication of the evil that engulfs the world without people’s realization. For instance, there are contemporarily legions of churches across the entire globe. These churches are led by genuine and fake pastors. In this story, Friend used deception to appeal to young girls by dressing as a teenager. His true colors revealed show that he was up to a sinister mission against Connie. The fake pastors that use deception as he gateway to fleecing unsuspecting church members mostly end up in suffering an ignominy once the congregation discovers. They perform fake miracles that are stage-managed to woo the masses for a greater following. Deception also takes the form of cheating, mistrust in marriages, corruption and other vices. These are retrogressive practices that drag the society backwards. Evil such as deception is becoming more infamous than before.

Exploitation Based on Age and Gender Compared to Today

Disrespect for gender and age is another evil that the story tackles to correlate with today’s happenings around these variables. Friend shows his disrepute for the female gender through the interaction with the protagonist. He uses seductive words that are almost invectives when they first met with Connie. Friend’s words “Gonna get you baby” and the facial expressions hint on the manner that the society viewed gender. It is not a general description of those times that the novel is set but a specified description of Connie’s life and environment. The attempt that Friend executed of visiting her at home also emphasized on the disrespect. Friend understood that Connie was a minor since she was in her teenage. He continued with his ominous objective to have Connie ride with him. Friend had investigated the whereabouts of Connie, her parents and elder sister. He knew that Connie was female and thereby a vulnerable person. He also understood that a teenage girl would easily freak out if he used a commanding voice. Friend, therefore, proceeded to Connie’s home for these principal reasons. He wanted to satiate his sexual desires, abduct and maybe kill Connie. However, the age and gender factor came in handy for him because he knew that they would render Connie helpless in his hands. In retrospect, the society continues to aggravate social vices through social media and other technological devices. Gill articulates “Technology has trailed the values of efficiency, callousness, and resolution into human life” (Gill 12). Gender has become a contentious issue for long due to the upsurge of activity groups demanding the recognition of their sexual orientation. Many school girls continue to undergo “clitoridectomy” at the expense of their health and future. Some are forced to marry at a young age while others are in homes with domestic violence. These are incidences that many people are facing as byproducts of the deviant behaviors that people adopt.

The Role of Religion in Reducing Evil and Today

The lack of a religious background at Connie’s home is a principal factor that could have influenced her ways into the ratchet behavior. As put “Connie probably “didn’t think much of” this reference because she possibly does not know the bible as none of her family “bothered with church” and because Old Testament contains “stories” of the past, a part of history that is incomprehensible to her” (Theriot 5) The story validates that the day Friend came to their home was a Sunday. The family had left for a barbecue while she was home alone. She did not attend a church service together with the family. Connie’s friends also perceive music listening as a “church service” to downgrade the action and disregard the importance of church going. Ossewaarde-Lowtoo states that “The idea of a boundary-less human milieu could inform the re-organisation of religious collectivities..” (Ossewaarde-Lowtoo 8). Religion, therefore, seems to be a factor that contributed to the insanity in the story. Connie’s father would have probably paid attention to his daughter if church was involved. “When Connie dreams that the devil has placed a mark on her…” (Gatz 56). Connie would possibly change if the family went to church every Sunday. The novel notes some biblical allusions that bring out Friend as the evil and Connie as the good. It is observed that Connie says “Christ” severally when Friend threatens her. Gatz wrote “Her experience is patched together, as dreams are,…” (Gatz 55). It is evident that Connie had the faith in Christianity but failed to practice it. In today’s world, evil is increasing because people are not embracing religion. Religion cultivates behavioral discipline that helps to lead a sensible life. Multitudes of churches have risen up but their gospel is not genuine because they are after the revenues generated.

Today’s World and Evil

I disagree that a man’s nature is evil. The novel exemplified evil and its origin. Connie engaged with Friend because she disobeyed her mother. She went out to meet another friend and stumbled upon Friend. The outcome was disheartening and it started out with the simple non-conformity to home rules. The progression of time has placed the world in a worse position and sin has increased significantly. It starts from non-adherence to simple rules and laws. For instance, pornography is easily accessible these days because there are many sites that support that dirt. Technology is advancing and almost every person has a smart phone. Negative information apart from pornography is also too available to ignore these days. Ossewaarde-Lowtoo, Roshnee puts that “in certain strands of Judaic and Christian thought, the personal, interpersonal and social manifestations of evil are conceived as being interrelated” (Ossewaarde-Lowtoo, Roshnee 5). However, there is hope if an individual chooses to lead a normal life. Religion is among the principal shapers of good behaviors because it not only brings you closer to God and cultivates your discipline. As Gill put it “Humanity is stripped of defining qualities until the last stronghold of meaning resides solely in the human heartbeat” to emphasize on it(Gill 3).

Conclusion

The novel is a masterpiece that elucidates on an important subject in normal lives, evil. Evil takes centrality in the story’s plot through the antagonist and protagonist Friend and Connie respectively. These characters portray evil in a symbolic manner that enables the understanding of evil in the society today. Friend takes the embodiment of evil and Connie builds an environment of hostility for herself. The contemporary world has developing evils from war to politics. Pornography is growing at an alarming rate while fake churches are coming up. These are indications that the world is grappling with evils and the adoption of proper values and practicing them is key.

Works Cited

Gill, Mackenzie. "The Clash of Modernity and Humanity in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”." Rollins Undergraduate Research Journal 5.1 (2011): 6.

Gratz, David K. "Oates's Where are You Going, Where Have You Been?." The Explicator 45.3 (1987): 55-56.

Holmen, Nicole. "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue: Psychoanalyzing Connie in Joyce Carol Oates's" Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"." Inquiries Journal 2.02 (2010).

Ossewaarde-Lowtoo, Roshnee. "Reckoning with evil in social life." International Journal of Philosophy and Theology 78.4-5 (2017): 373-381.

Theriot, Michele D. “The Eternal Present in Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”.” Journal of the Short Story in English. Les Cahiers de la nouvelle 48 (2007).