Essay on Transition in Where Are You Going, Where Have...

Transition in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been Each of us experiences transitions in our lives. Some of these changes are small, like moving from one school semester to the next. Other times these changes are major, like the transition between youth and adulthood. In Joyce Carol Oates Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?, the author dramatizes a real life crime story to examine the decisive moment people face when at the crossroads between the illusions and innocence of youth and the uncertain future. Joyce Carol Oates message of life and transitions is best understood when the reader brings his or her interpretation to meet with the authors intention at a middle ground. This type of†¦show more content†¦Oates herself admits the connection, claiming she wrote the story after having read about a killer in some Southwestern state (Reaske and Knott 720) in a magazine. Oates use of an actual story around the time she wrote her piece shows how she was intensely affected by the violence that occurred around her during the time she lived in. This touches on Biographical Criticism, which stresses both the life of the author and how that life affected them as an artist. The story Oates draws from is that of Charles Schmid, who (perhaps with an accomplice - though this was never proven) raped and killed a young girl named Alleen Rowe. The details of this story are undeniably repeated in Oates tale through both the plot and the characters. Connie, the victim in Oates story, has much in common with actual victim Alleen. Both were fifteen at the time of their encounter with their predator. Both had just finished washing their hair and were home alone when their attackers came to their house. Both girls were lured from their house into the arms of their attacker: Connie was presumably headed for the remote wilderness with him, while Alleen was actually taken there. Alleen was raped and beaten to death, and the threat of rape is frighteningly apparent for Connie - though the question of her death is left up to the reader. Connies attacker tells her, Im your lover. You dont know what that is yet, but you will (Oates 710). The predators of both girls also had much inShow MoreRelated The Transition from Childhood to Adulthood in Joyce Carol Oates Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?614 Words   |  3 PagesThe Transition from Childhood to Adulthood in Joyce Carol Oates Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? All people experience changes in their life. Some of these changes are small such as the passing from one grade to another in school. Other changes are more intense, such as the transition from childhood to adulthood. 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