Life After High School Summary

Life after High School Joyce Carol Oates Analysis of Theme
“Zachary’s attentiveness to Sunny had begun with no warning”(Joyce Carol Oates, 572), attentiveness without warning? What a mystery! So put on your detective hat and buckle up your shoes! Two unlikely candidates that knew of each other all their lives and were given numerous opportunities to connect, yet it is not until the second half of their senior year that Zachary dare breathe a word. If that is not the synopsis of a story written by John Green, I am unaware of what is. Why has Zachary chosen now to show an interest? Joyce Carol Oates groundbreaking short story of the 20th century “Life after High School” presents us with the mystifying themes of our search for penance,

the loss of innocence, our need to uphold our reputations.
“Like Sunny Burhman who was, or seemed even at the time of this story, too good to be true.

That’s to say-good” (Oates, 572). What a colossal emphasis put on how good Sunny Burhman was, “She was too good to indicate impatience, or exasperation; too good to tell him, as her friends advised, to get lost.” It seems as if she was so good that any bad could not exist with her and all the while Zachary’s phoning her every scummy minute and she is just too good to tell him off. “Oh Mom. I just feel so bad. I just feel so-bad” (Oates, 572). Never could it have been feasible for such a saintlike creature to forced to resign to such a scummy thing as telling him off since “Such words were not part of her vocabulary” (Oates, 572). So pure a soul could cure a person of any scummy thought, it becomes obvious that Zachary became compelled by this same idea. “Zachary confided in Tobias that he prayed every morning of his life-immediately upon waking, he scrambled out of bed, knelt, hid his face in his hands and prayed, For his sinful soul, for his sinful thoughts, deeds, desires. He lacerates his soul the way he’s been taught by his mother to tug a fine-toothed steel comb through his coarse oily hair, never less than once a day” (Oates, 572). What a fellow! He changes from Zachary the scummy obsessive juvenile to Zachary the devout Christian in search of penance. What fitter way to cleanse yourself of sin than with a sacrifice? He sets his eyes on Sunny, after all, “She was a virgin, and virginal in all, or most of her thoughts.” (Oates, 572) What madness! What could drive a person to this decision? Fear, “Zachary was afraid of hell” (Oates, 572). And being a homosexual is one sure way to earn yourself a one way ticket to hell. Now here comes the good part, Zachary failed in convincing Sunny to flee with him , and so he lost his sacrificial lamb, however, he could still atone for his sin with the blood of the one who cause him to sin. Even more interesting is the method

chosen for this sacrifice, death by strangulation causes a lot of pain just as Christ suffered for our sins on the cross. It is immediate admittance into heaven, it is almost comical for a person so brilliant to be responsible for an idea so short-sighted. Our search for penance is the key theme in Joyce Carol Oates short story “Life After High School”. Zachary being a homosexual is in clear violation of what the Bible preaches and in order to make up for those violations there needed to be a sacrifice.
Zachary succeeds in obtaining his sacrifice, although, he might not have been able to mutilate Sunnys body, he did, however, in fact manage to steal her soul, her innocence. In the dramatic turn of events, we reach a point where the realizations dawns on us, this is not“Sunny” anymore. Sunny loses her innocence, changes from being that good all-American girl to a murderer, or at least responsible for someone's death. We observe penance of the burden his death had placed on her, “She was out of school for a full week following Zachary’s death, and when she returned conspicuously paler, more subdued, in all ways less sunny, she did not speak, even with her closest friends, of the tragedy; nor did anyone bring up the subject with her. She withdrew her name from the balloting for the senior prom queen, she withdrew from her part in the senior play, she dropped out of the school choir, she did not participate in the annual statewide debating competition…. Was she in mourning?- or was she simply ashamed?” (Oates, 572) In her shame she buried herself in her studies as if she could by hook or crook, atone for his death. “The irony had not escaped Barbara Burham that, in casting away his young life so recklessly, Zachary Graff had freed her for hers.” (Oates, 572) Ergo death has a sort of liberating appeal. The theme of losing of innocence is evident in Sunny becoming not so sunny after Zachary's death. Although, despite wallowing in self-pity, Sunny, or rather Barbara did obtain quite a life for herself. So, at least one good element came out of this scummy situation.
Finally, the least relatable theme of them all, our scummy need to uphold a reputation we never chose to have and how we cower in fear when given the opportunity to face them. Sunny had been obligated to be the all-American girl too good to be true who is nonetheless true. She had been obligated to accept Zachary’s, for lack of a better word, kindness. She had been obligated to play nice with him when it is made clear that she almost despises him. Zachary, the faithful and devout member of the Lutheran Church that had always been a bit too serious. Between his self loathing and the disapproval he would have to face if he had admitted his feelings for Tobias, I am not surprised he killed himself. Lastly, Tobias, afraid of the stage, always lurking in the background, still hiding behind the shadows, but, unlike the rest of them, he is willing to admit it “I was too cowardly. I was terrified of being exposed” (Oates, 572). They were all cowards, the whole lot of them. Sunny should have told Zachary to get lost, Zachary and Tobias should have come out regarding their preferences. They were all cowards, just like the rest of us.
Joyce Carol Oates “Life After High School” is thrilling, thought provoking and poignant. This masterpiece is the best portrayal of our need so repent for our sins, the loss of innocence and our need to uphold our reputations.