Abuse And Violence In Joyce Carol Oates Where Is Here?

The story “Where is Here?” by Joyce Carol Oates is a story that addresses many heavy topics. Some of those topics are: abuse and violence, how we treat our family when no one is watching, and how hospitable people truly are to strangers. Through careful analysis of this multilayered story, we can uncover some hidden gems. Who is the stranger in the story, How does violence play into the connections the stranger makes, and In what sense is the stranger dead? By asking ourselves questions such as these, we gain a deeper knowledge of the story.
To begin, the story opens with a family receiving a visit by a stranger on a November evening. Since the author uses words like “chill, damp, deepening dusk” (Oates 325) to describe the condition of the

weather it gives this scene a foreboding feeling. This is further confirmed by the description of the stranger “ he was in his late forties, the fathers approximate age. He wore a dark suit, conservatively cut; he was hatless, with thin silver-tipped neatly combed hair” (Oates 325). The stranger claims to have lived in this house years before. He admits to thinking and dreaming about this house often, which reveals the slightly abnormal personality of the stranger. The father offers that he come in for a minute, but the stranger asks to look around outside instead. The mother and father keep a close eye on the stranger while he's outside, which makes me feel distrusting of the stranger as well. It's mentioned that the stranger has a slight limp. This moves the mother to ask “is he an older man?”. To which the father replies “I didn’t notice” and the mother retaliates by saying “isn’t that just like you!” (Oates 326). This dialogue between the parents is particularly interesting. Not only does it reveal the mother distrusting, but that she’s also observant and has a temper. Her distrust is further shown by her saying to the father that the stranger could be a murderer or a mentally disturbed person. Moved with pity, she invites the stranger into the house anyway.
While in the house the stranger begins to look around.

Recalling the similarities and differences of the house and occupants from the present to the past 1) the general structure of the house. 2) The fact that the stranger had a mother, a father, and a sister, and 3) where the strangers father and the current father sat for dinner. Out of all the differences brought up, the appearance of the house from the strangers memory seems to be the most noteworthy. For example the stranger stated “dark by day, dark by night” (Oates 327) probably due to the gloomy circumstances of his childhood. The stranger soon becomes distressed and agitated in the house which we find out is due to his fathers abusive nature. One moment in particular when memories started rushing in was when he looked at the window seat. The stranger describes the memory of his mother asking him riddles such as “ ‘What is round, and flat, measuring mere inches in one direction, and infinity in the other?’ ‘Out of what does our life arise? Out of what does our consciousness arise? Why are we here? Where is here?’” (Oates 328). These questions just like the act of violence and abuse don’t have a definitive answer but they go on and on until the answer to the question eventually become the question itself. The stranger goes on with his tour and continues upstairs and its noted that the son and the stranger had the same bedroom. The mother and father ask if the stranger wants to see their room but the stranger

forcefully objects. It becomes clear that terrible things happened in that bedroom. On the contrast because his father was abusive, the strangers only safe haven was his bedroom which is why he wanted to see it.
Finally, as the story nears it's end, the stranger asks the father “Why? (Oates 330)” in reference to the father having two kids. Officially overstaying his welcome, this question leads to an interesting conversation between the two. The significance of this conversation is that the stranger is starting to reveal why his father became abusive and how his innocent peaceful life came to an end, foreshadowing to what is going to happen to this family. Officially beginning to show his temper, the father protests that the strangers visit is over “he shut the door, and locked it (Oates 331).” This indicates the beginning of the changes that were previously mentioned by the stranger.
Physically the stranger may alive, but to a degree the stranger is dead as well.

As previously mentioned, the stranger had a limp, and when he shook the parents hand he felt cold due to the cold weather. When he was in the house he began to sweat, he spoke, and unloosened his tie, so we know he is not a ghost. He is however emotionally a ghost, the toll abuse takes on a person is indescribable. To be able to visit the scene of the crime and still retain your composure is difficult. In the story there were multiple scenes when it appeared that the stranger was going to break down but he didn’t. This reveals a lot about his

character.
In conclusion, “Where is Here” by Joyce Carol Oates is a story that digs into and thoroughly engages the mind of the reader. Questions such as: Who is this stranger in the story, How does violence play into the connections the stranger makes, and In what sense is the stranger dead are vital to the understanding of the story on a different level. One particularly interesting theme of this story would be that humans have many facets. The general impression of the characters at the beginning of the story completely changed by the ending. Author Joyce Carol Oates seemed to perfectly capture the idea behind the beginning of abuse in the household, and left you questioning ‘Where is Here?’