What do you think happens at the end of the story? What are the possibleoutcomes of the situation? Which ending do you consider most likely and why?
What will be an ideal response?
- Where is Connie going, where has she been? She has been living in a world of daydreams, and now, at the end, she is going out into a sunlit field to be raped. That much seems inarguable, based on the things Arnold Friend has said to her. He has advised her to “be nice to me, be sweet like you can because what else is there for a girl like you but to be sweet and pretty and give in?—and get away before her people come back?” (par. 154). Does he intend to kill her? The last part of this statement suggests that he will release her afterward, but if he plans to murder her he would hardly tell her so. Oates herself, in the essay included in the following casebook, says that the story contains “no suggestion . . . that he necessarily intends to murder Connie” and that “[w]e don’t know the nature of her sacrifice, only that she is generous enough to make it.” Students might passionately argue one side or the other, but be sure to have them ground their conclusions in the text itself.
In teaching this story to her students at the University of Georgia, Professor Anne Williams had “a couple of minor epiphanies” regarding the mythic allusions. She has written to share them with us:
Ellie may be a diminutive of “Beelzebub,” lord of the flies. The story is certainly full of references to flies. I also noticed a series of comic allusions to various fairy tales, all of which, according to Bettelheim, concern the difficulties of coming to terms with adult sexuality: Snow White (in reference to the mother’s jealousy over Connie’s looks, so much like her own faded beauty [par. 1–2]); Cinderella (the pumpkin on Arnold’s car [par. 36]); Little Red Riding Hood (here, there seems a fundamental structural parallel—and Arnold is described: “the nose long and hawk-like, sniffing as if she were a treat he was going to gobble up” [par. 46]).
In spite of hawk-like, we agree that the description makes Arnold sound distinctly like a wolf. Professor Williams refers, of course, to Bruno Bettelheim’s The Uses of Enchantment (New York: Knopf, 1976).
Deborah Louvar, who teaches at Seminole State College in Sanford, Florida, had a student who made an interesting discovery about the “secret code” numbers on Arnold Friend’s car (par. 37) which she has shared with us:
I taught “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” for the first time last summer and am teaching it now. This semester, James Mullady, a student of mine made an interesting discovery about the origin of the title.
The student, a deputy sheriff, did something he wasn’t supposed to do: he did a web search for the code numbers 33, 19, 17 on Arnold’s car. He found a reference to Judges 19:17. How curious! The title of the story repeats the questions in the biblical passage. It must be more than a coincidence. [Judges 19:17 in the NIV version reads: “When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, ‘Where are you going? Where did you come from?’” It begins a particularly gruesome passage about a violent rape and murder. —Editors]
I went home that night and read the verse and the surrounding chapters. Well, that Bible story gives a new level of meaning to Oates’s story! But the violence in the biblical account is far worse than that in the story.
Is the numerical code an allusion? I told students no at first because the connection between the two stories is so rarefied that few readers would catch it. But after reconsidering, I said yes, it is an allusion. The number of readers who would understand doesn’t matter.
The student went on to explain the number 33 as Jesus’s age at the time of the crucifixion. But I’m not convinced, for many reasons. I’ve looked through other biblical texts to find meaning in this number but found nothing.
In class we considered other explanations for the code, but none for 19 and 17 are as striking as the one that unfolds through Judges.
Although Louvar later learned that an earlier scholar had identified this hidden allusion, both she and the editors of this book remain impressed by Deputy Sheriff Mullady’s keen detective work.
A film has been based on Oates’s story: Smooth Talk (1987), directed by Joyce Chopra, with screenplay by Tom Cole. In an interview, Oates remarked that although she had nothing to do with making the movie, she respects the “quite remarkable” results.
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Questions pour Amélie.
The apartment sounds so good that you have decided to go visit it. While you are there, you have more questions for your prospective roommate, Amélie. Complete the conversation with the most appropriate possessive adjectives. Vous: Amélie, tu crois que (do you think that) dans (1) ____________________ (my) chambre, il est possible de mettre (2) ____________________ grand lit? J’ai aussi deux tables de nuit et un bureau. Amélie: (3) ____________________ chambre est assez grande. Je crois qu’il est possible de mettre (4) ____________________ grand lit sans problèmes. (5) ____________________ deux tables de nuit rentrent aussi. Vous: Super! Est-ce que tu me laisseras (will you let me) mettre (6) ____________________ (my) radio dans (7) ____________________ (our) salle de bains? J’aime bien écouter les infos quand je me lave le matin. Amélie: Bien sûr! On va s’amuser toutes les deux!
Summarizing a reading assignment means
A) presenting the main points of a reading in a shortened form. B) letting your ideas flow and brainstorming the main points. C) copying down word-for-word the main point from the learning outcomes at the beginning of the chapter. D) writing down questions pertinent to the reading.
Identify each of the following items as either an introductory phrase or a dependent clause
Each morning, a. introductory phrase b. dependent clause
Ud. quiere que el mesero le sirva más agua.
What will be an ideal response?