Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Literary Analysis

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When dreaming it can be confusing and terrifying distinguishing if you are in reality or unreality. In ,Joyce Carol Oates, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Connie crosses into a dream like state that can be proven by the bewildering dialogue, characterization and plot.
    As Connie talks to Arnold friend she recognizes the voice of the man from the radio man through Arnold Friend. “Connie is the framer, the story creator” (Tierce and Crafton 220). Dreams are controlled by the person dreaming the dream. Joyce Carol Oates makes it clear that Connie is a fun loving teen who loves to hang out with friends and listen to the radio, so it’s not hard to recognize the voice of the radio man once Arnold Friend starts talking to her. There are …show more content…

“He wagged a finger and laughed and said gonna get you, baby.” (Oates 1). The night before Sunday Connie experiences a strange encounter with a man at the diner. The confusion and fear she obtains from the encounter causes her to think of the worse possible scenario. Connie’s dream is so vivid that it makes her think it’s real life. “Connie’s inability to dial the phone, and Arnold's promise to not come into the house are all tinged with the sense of unreality.” (Tierce and Crafton 222). Tierce and Crafton state how Connie's emotions at the time made her perceive everything as if she was in real life. Connie’s out of body experience was of her waking from her dream. “Connie exist in a dream-like state, but never in a dream.” (Coulthard 507). Connie’s dream was a mixture of reality and unreality. She disliked her home life and found a way to escape it through indulging in boys. As Connie has her encounter with Arnold Friend she slowly realizes reality finding it way back to her, eventually waking her back up. The main character, Connie, has a strange encounter with a man at the diner which causes her to have a vivid dream where she creates Arnold

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