Where are you going, where have you been?
"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" The story, "Where Are You, Where Have You Been?", was a coming of age story that contained many characters with hidden meanings. Arnold Friend was one of these characters. He seems like a nice guy who just wants to go for a ride; however, his character soon turns out to be the devil or death himself. I liked that aspect of the story. At times, I was board and didn't want to finish the story, but the development of the antagonistic character intrigued me and allowed me to keep reading. The line I liked best about this story was when Arnold Friend said," Hey, you know that old woman do
wn the road, the one with the chickens and stuff- you know her? She's dead!". Also, the way he stagers around like he is drunk, could be because the devil walks with cloven hooves, and hooves in boots would make anyone walk weird. It clearly shows that he has a hand in death personally. Lastly, the way Arnold talks about setting the house on fire because fire is associated with hell and death. In our group discussion, we found that this was a coming of age story because we see Connie grow from a young unknowing teenager to an adult who sacrifices her own life for a family that she really doesn't care about. Although, this story doesn't meet all of the criteria for a coming of age story, it is because we see Connie grow from a childish state of adult hood to making a decision that involves a great deal of maturity. This is evident by his use of the word hell, throughout the story. Also, Connie gains a new awareness of the world; although, she doesn't get away from the social norms, her decision demonstrates her new found awareness. These references shape the meaning of the story because we the culture shaped who Connie was, and how Arnold embodying death used culture to gain some trust and then eventually kill Connie. The allegory that we found in the story was Arnold Friend is displayed as the devil or death. Some of these examples include: the burger joint, hair spray, shopping malls, movie theaters, charm bracelets and transistor radios. Connie's allegory is that she embodies the teen culture of that time. The author makes many references to the teen culture of the time. I think this line is important to the story because it shows the true nature of Arnold's character.
Common topics in this essay:
Friend Hey,
Arnold Friend,
Lastly Arnold,
,
Connie Arnold,
age story,
coming age story,
coming age,
arnold friend,
connie grow,
story arnold,
devil death,
teen culture,
age story connie,
story arnold friend,
story connie,
story connie grow,
|
Acceptance Essays
