Symbolism and Manipulation in Carol Oates` Works Essay Example

eventually leading her astray, the result of which is a narrative charged with an ambiguous ending and suspense which fictionally illustrates the dynamics of fear and manipulation. 1: (Oates 2016) 2: (João n.d.)

Strategies of manipulation

The events that elicits conies manipulation takes plane on a Sunday morning, Connie’s sisters and parents’ leave home to take part in in a barbecue that is organized by their aunt, leaving Connie alone. The narrator states, “None of them bothered with church’’endnoteRef:1. Although this statement may seem superfluous, it later acquires a symbolic meaning. It may be referencing an organized ritual of a religious nature; Connie’s coming of age also constitutes a rite, a prelude to seduction games in a her teenage years, which might conclude with undesired sexual experience or even a mortal sacrifice. 1: João, de, Mancelos. n.d. "The Dynamics of Coercion and Fear in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”,“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”,." ubibliorum.ubi 1-5.
Oates, Joyce Carol. 2016. "WHERE ARE YOU GOING, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" sparknotes 1-2.

Oates, presents Arnold’s car as a symbol of power, affluence and masculinity in the American culture. The car is described as “an opened jalopy, painted in a bright gold that caught the sunlight obliquely”footnoteRef:3. Arnolds parks the car in front of Connie’s house. Connie wasn’t expecting the visits and on seeing the car reacts with anxiety. “Her heart started pounding with her fingers snatching her hair, checking it, she whispered, Christ, Christ, wondering about her bad luck. Connie, at this stage doesn’t remember having seen the vehicle before, outside a restaurant which is frequently visited by high school students. Arnold then laughs, wags a

finger and says “Gonna get you baby”footnoteRef:4. This gesture is an indication of the narrative's conclusion. 3: (João n.d.) 4: (João n.d.)

Arnold introduces himself in an unusual way; “I am Arnold friend and that is my actual name I will be your friend, honey”footnoteRef:5. Arnold is also accompanied by his friend, Ellie Oscar, who is all this time in the car Arnold’s surname ‘friend’ is suspicious. Its use is meant to assure Connie that he is her friend. This is the first hint that shows the ambiguity and oddity of the communication situation. Later on, other such hints follow, they include; both Arnold and the ominously silent Ellie, are in mirror glasses that prevent Connie from seeing and inferring their facial expression. Connie is, however sharp and in spite of Arnold’s calm tone, relaxed look and seductive strategies, she notices the irrationality of the situation and becomes hesitant. To overcome Connie’s hesitancy, Arnold informs her of his age by lying that he is about her age. The lady gets suspicious as Arnold has lines around his mouth corners and also because his figure indicates that he is older and could be at least eighteen years. More, so by observing Ellie, it’s obvious that Connie is with no doubt that he is an adult and is shocked. Oates narrates; “he had slightly reddened cheeks, and a hairless face and his veins were as if they were too close to the surface of the skin, the face of a forty your old baby”footnoteRef:6. On detecting this Connie becomes tentative, and when Arnold contends that she should join him for a car ride, Connie declines and commands them

to leavefootnoteRef:7. The author deliberately omits dialogue tags in the conversation between the two so as to allow the reader to focus on the tension in the conversation. On realizing that Connie may be aware of his intent, Arnold deserts his seduction strategy and recourse’s to intimidation through obscure threats, He substantiates that he is aware of the whereabouts of Connie’s family, emphasizing subtly on the girl’s concomitant and isolation susceptibility. 5: (Oates 2016) 6: (João n.d.) 7: (João n.d.)

At this stage it can be argued that the absenteeism of Connie’s parents play a determining factor in the narrative role. Because her mother is absent, and her father doesn’t bother to talk much with his family, Connie has no one to resort to, to ask whether or not she should gofootnoteRef:8.Eventually on realizing that there was nobody to help her, she enters into a spiral of terror. She is in a state of fear and as the author describes it, she stared at Arnold, having a wave of fear and dizziness rising inside her. Arnold Realizes of Connie’s defenselessness, and takes advantage of it. He does this by resorting to a brandishing anger strategy where he uses authoritarian speech to scare and subdue Connie. The strategy is successful, as Connie gets scared and is eventually subdued. She is filled with panic as the author suggests, “Her heart was nearly bigger for her chest and its pumping made her filled with sweat”footnoteRef:9.

She retreats into the house and impends to call the police. Arnold continues with his intimidation tactic and threatens Connie with her family members telling her that if she doesn’t conform to his wishes her

family member will suffer the consequences and that they will get hurt. Connie reveals a panoply of frenetic reaction where she cries for her mother, trembles uncontrollably, has breathing difficulties, has no strength to even hold the telephone and finally she accedes to exhaustion and without resistance she becomes Arnolds easy prey, she walks towards him. Although her destiny isn’t revealed by the narrator it is eloquent to the reader that it was a negative encounter. 8: (João n.d.) 9: (João n.d.)

Major themes

All through Oates story, two themes are brought out naivety and vulnerability. Naivety presents itself by the fact that Connie is on her adolescent years, and is clueless of the harshness of life. It is with great naivety that the girl rebels against her mother, visits and has fun in malls, hamburger shops, cinemas and flirts with schoolmates, eventually all these lands her into great mess. It is also due to naivety that Connie doesn’t make use of obvious clues and cues to get out of bad situations. For example, when she notes that Arnold lied to her about his age, she doesn’t take measures that will avert the impending danger, she only orders them to leave, and isn’t seen to do anything on her side that will help her. The vulnerability theme presents itself where Connie was being threatened by Arnold, on realizing that she was all alone in the situation, Connie is terrified to the point of shaking uncontrollably, that she succumbs to Arnolds plan this eventually lands her in troublefootnoteRef:10. 10: (João n.d.)

Bibliography

She, that girl and intermittently another girl went out severely, the rest of the time Connie was at

home-it was a summer vacation-Connie dreamt of the boys she met. However, all the boys dissolved and fell back into a single face that was only a feeling, an idea that combines the humid night air of July with the critical insistent pounding of music. (Oates 2162)

She recognized most things about him, the tight jeans that showed his tight buttocks and thighs and the tight shirt and greasy leather boot and even that slippery friends smile of his, that sleepy dreamy smile that boys used to get across ideas they didn’t want to put into words. She recognized all this and also the singsong way he talked, slightly mocking, kidding but seriously and a little melancholy, and she recognized the way he tapped one fist against the other in homage to the perpetual music behind him. But all these things did not come together.
‘you two better leave’
‘We ain’t leaving until you come with us’
‘Like Hell Iam-‘
‘Connie, don’t fool around with me.I mean-I mean, don’t fool around’, he said, shaking his head. He laughed incredulously (Oates 2166).