Literary Devices In Where Are You Going Where Have You Been

In the story, â€Å"Where are you Going, Where Have you Been?† the author, Joyce Carol Oates, uses literary devices to convey a message about the loss of innocence. To be more specific, Oates’s characterization of the protagonist, Connie, specifically shows the actions leading to her innocence being taken from her. The literary device of characterization gives a clear picture Oates thoughts at the time she wrote the story, expressing concern for young girls who are at risk of having their innocence taken from them. To begin, the protagonist of the story is Connie, is a rebellious eighteen year old blonde, who does not accept the role that her mother puts her in. The mother expects Connie to be the â€Å"nice† girl, who dresses and acts like her†¦show more content†¦Although we never fully discover the humanness of Arnold, one thing is for sure, â€Å"He invites fear rather than attraction when he claims to know things about her family and neighbors that he couldn’t possibly know.†(SparkNotes Editors) The interaction between Connie and Friend start when Friend shows up to Connie’s house uninvited. The author Oates states â€Å"After a while she heard a car coming up the drive. She sat up at once, startled, because it couldnt be her father so soon. . . It was a car she didnt know,† (qtd. Oates. pg.2) Connie’s first reaction was to evaluate how good she looked instead of finding out whether Friend was somebody she knew or not. When they finally come face to face, she was met with flirtatious small talk from Friend, who exclaimed â€Å"Don’tcha like my car? New paint job,†¦ Youre cute† (qtd. Oates. pg.3) Connie is in awe of his faded pants and his huge black dark boots and actually considers getting in the car as he requested. The awe of the mysterious however, rapidly shifted as he makes demands and threats due to Connie’s refusal to get in the car with him. Alarmed, Connie tries to put a call. Arnold request that she come out of the h ouse and if she doesnt comply to his demands she and her family are going to â€Å"get it†. Slowly, Connie begins to realize that theres something off about Arnold Friend. He looks to be wearing a wig, and hesShow MoreRelatedLife Without Literary Devices Essay1387 Words   |  6 Pagesupon you. You can hear nothing but the waves quietly washing up on the beach giving your toes a bath. Imagine a book without any literary devices. That description would have turned into something along the lines of â€Å"Imagine laying on a beach watching the sunset turn into blackness. And then stars appeared and all you can hear are waves†. 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