the two sides of connie essay
The story ‘ Exactly where Are You Heading, Where Have You Been? ‘ is all about the 15 year old Connie who is a female struggling with her sexuality. The lady tries to always be an adult and attractive, yet at the same time, the lady hides her sexual aspect from her family. Both of these sides simply cannot remain individual from each other at all times and collide with each other, which this short account depicts. The primary idea through this short tale is the sexuality of Connie and her struggle to keep her intimate and nonsexual side independent.
The narrative details that contribute to this main thought are first of all Connie operating differently than your woman does while with her family, which shows that your woman hides her sexual part, secondly, one of many characters Arnold Friend, the antagonist and thirdly Connie’s reaction when ever she is faced with Arnold Good friend, showing that she is not even close to ready to fully embrace her sexuality.
Firstly, the two edges of Connie, Connie’s nightlife and her every day regular life with her family, emphasizes her developing libido.
When ever Connie is out with her girlfriends she shows a side of her that she will under no circumstances show with her family: “Her walk, which may be childlike and bobbing, or faint, faintish[obs3]; sickly enough for making anyone think she was hearing music in her head; her mouth, which was pale and smirking quite often, but shiny and red on these kinds of evenings away; her have a good laugh, which was negative and drawling at home”Ha, ha, incredibly funny, ”but highpitched and nervous anywhere else, like the jingling of the charm bracelets on her pendant. (Oates 2)
By acting such as this she attempts to be attracting boys specifically older men. This kind of behaviour makes a very distinctive contrast that contributes to the story’s primary idea. Connie hides her sexuality via her family members, where the lady only is fun of her sister and has arguements with her mother. This means that that the girl with ashamed by her sexual side, mainly because when going Connie unearths her sexuality, behaving differently, hanging out with close friends and flirting with males. Connie tries to cultivate her sexual part but as well tries to keep her other side unchanged, being embarrassed and afraid to expose her sexuality with her family.
Second of all, Arnold Friend is a narrative detail that also plays a part in the main idea of Connie experiencing her libido. Arnold Good friend is a sign for the devil. Firstly the short story depicts that he offers difficulty with walking: “He almost dropped. But , such as a clever drunken man, this individual managed to get his equilibrium. He wobbled in his high boots and grabbed your hands on one of the porch posts (Oates 11). His boots can also be stuffed for no evident reason. This might indicate, along with the additional details, that he has hooves.
Secondly his name sounds like ‘an aged friend’, a reference to satan who has befriended mankind 1st. And lastly, in one moment in the short history his your-eyes glowing unusually red. Most of these details in conjunction with Arnold his age and him providing her a way to get rid of it of her current secure life produces a perfect and rather mysterious antagonist. This antagonist, Arnold Friend, is actually a detail that supports the key idea because Arnold Good friend increases the libido of Connie and at the same time confronts Connie with her growing sexuality.
Additionally, Connie’s crying for her mom also leads to the story’s main thought. This happens when Arnold Friend appears in her home and desires to take Connie out for a ride. Connie does not want to go with him because she’s scared by sudden presence of Arnold Friend. Furthermore, he intends her to come with him. The interesting and secret older Arnold Friend becomes violent and threatening towards Connie. Connie tries to fend him away, but the girl does not be successful and at that moment “she thought, Now i’m not going to see my mother once again. She believed, I’m not going to sleep during my bed once again. (Oates 14). In full panic, your woman cries, shouts and wishes for her individual mother, to whom she almost certainly yelled in the day ahead of, despising her for putting her in the world. This story detail reveals how Connie’s sexuality reaches a point wherever she is unable to cooperate with her sexuality and wishes to return to her secure, non-sexual area.
Connie has two sides. On one side Connie arguements with her mother, burlesque her sis and covers her libido. On her different side she’s only interested in her sexuality. She goes out with her girlfriends, passade with kids, wears her clothes differently and acts more adult to attract the alternative sex. The first fine detail emphasizes the contrast involving the two attributes and reveals how Connie struggles to hide her sexuality from her family. The second detail can be Arnold Friend. Connie is extremely attracted to her sexual side.
Arnold Friend, the antagonist, is the perfect symbol for this sexual aspect and therefore the best person to bring instability in Connie her struggle to keep your two edges separate. The 3rd narrative detail shows that Connie is definately not ready for the sexual part, especially when this kind of side, in this case Arnold Friend, is a very chaotic and harmful one. These types of narrative specifics all help the main thought, the sexuality of Connie and her struggle to keep the nonsexual and sexual part separate.
Function cited
Oates, Joyce Carol. “Where Are You Heading, Where Have You Been? The very best American Short Stories (1967). Web. 18 Oct. 2012.
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