17.9.

2012

JULIA BOHNET

A COMPARISON OF THE SHORT STORIES WHERE ARE YOU GOING, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? BY JOYCE CAROL OATES
AND

A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND BY FLANNERY OCONNOR

Proseminar American Short Stories of the 20th century

Table of contents

Page

1. 2. 2.1. 2.2. 3. 3.1. 3.2. 3.3. 3.4. 4. 5. 6.

Introduction The Characters The Grandmother Compared to Connie The Misfit Compared to Arnold Friend Techniques of Creating Suspense Narrative Techniques Isolation and Separation Foreshadowing Gothic Elements The Structure of the Stories Conclusion Bibliography

3 3 4 6 9 9 10 11 12 13 14 16

1.

Introduction Although not having the same plot, the short stories Where Are You Going,

Where Have You Been? written by Joyce Carol Oates and A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery OConnor evoke the same repulsive feeling of horror in the reader and show several parallels which are not quite obvious when reading them for the first time. A Good Man Is Hard to Find was first published in 1953 and Where are you going, Where Have You Been? some years later in 1966. It is no surprise that similarities exist between these stories since Oates mentioned in an interview that Flannery OConnor has [a]n influence on her (Phillips 1978: 199-206). Oates as well as OConnor are highly concerned with violence in their short stories which is probably the most obvious feature by which to compare both stories. Their reasons for the use of violence are similar. OConnor emphasizes that violence is strangely capable of returning [her] characters to reality and preparing them to accept their moments of grace [because] their heads are so hard that almost nothing else will do the work. (Aslas 1993: 58) Also Oates soon realized that difficult and troubling works of art [] are far more beneficial than happy works. (Frank 1995: 1) Throughout both stories further analogies can be found that I will outline in what follows. One point that needs to be addressed when comparing Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? and A Good Man Is Hard to Find are the character constellations which are quite similar on the whole. Nevertheless, the protagonists also show significant differences in their behavior and their character traits which will be pointed out as well. Another interesting point is the way of how suspense is created in each of the stories. Here, means such as the narrative technique, foreshadowing and the use of gothic elements will be of concern. Last but not least, it is important to expand on the structure of the stories and how the single events are arranged in order to grasp the overall parallels in composition and its effect upon the reader.

2.

The Characters When taking a look at the character list of Where Are You Going, Where

Have You Been? and A Good Man Is Hard to Find it becomes obvious that both

stories have a female protagonist around whom further family members are arranged and a male antagonist namely the criminal of the story and his partner. In the case of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? the female protagonist is Connie and her family consists of her mother with whom she argues a lot, her father who hardly takes part in the family life and her sister June, who is plain and chunky (Frank 1995: 3). The antagonist to Connie is Arnold Friend, an unpredictable pervert and his partner is Ellie Oscar, who is made fun of by Friend. In A Good Man Is Hard to Find the story is focused on the grandmother. Her family consists of her son Bailey, her grandchildren June Star, John Wesley, a baby and their mother. In this story the Misfit, a brutal criminal who has made violence his norm to live by, presents the antagonist to the grandmother. He is accompanied by his partners Bobby Lee and Hiram. The character composition can be depicted as in the illustration below:
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? A Good Man Is Hard to Find

Connies family

The grandmothers son and his family

The protagonists:

Connie

The grandmother

The antagonists:

Arnold Friend

The Misfit

2.1. The Grandmother Compared to Connie The protagonists of both stories, the grandmother and Connie, have in common that they have certain vices which determine their behavior and decisions. Among these vices they share selfishness, vanity and the manipulation of other people. The grandmother and Connie are egoistic and they do not mind lying to have things their way. For example, Connie lies to her mother about where she is going at night and whom she is meeting. Connie even thinks of her mother as being so simple [] that it [is] maybe cruel to fool her so much (Frank 1995: 5). When
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her family is invited to a barbecue at her aunts house Connie refuses to go, rolling her eyes to let her mother know just what she [thinks] of it (Frank 1995: 6). Here, Connie could spend some quality time with her family but she is not interested in family matters but in her outer appearance and her effect on the male sex instead. Therefore, she stays home, letting her washed hair dry in the sun and thinking of the boy, she [has] been with the night before (Frank, 1995: 6). Connies vanity becomes apparent in the beginning of the story when her habit of looking into mirrors is mentioned. Especially when it is revealed that Connie thinks of herself as being preferred by her mother to June just because she [is] prettier (Frank, 1995: 5) it becomes obvious that beauty presents for her the scale by which she measures everything in life. Also when hearing the car of Friend arrive in front of the house, Connie is first concerned about her looks. (Christ. Christ, wondering how bad she looked.( Frank, 1995: 6) The grandmother in A Good Man Is Hard to Find acts similarly selfishly. Her taking the cat Pitty Sing into the car although clearly forbidden by her son Bailey shows her rebellion (Aslas 1993: 19) against the decision of her family to go to Florida. The grandmothers excuse of not being able to leave Pitty Sing alone because he would miss her too much (OConnor, 2002: 1937) is purely selfserving since cats have a really independent nature and it is rather the other way around that the grandmother would miss Pitty Sing too much. Furthermore, the grandmother does not refrain from lying to the rest of the family in order to get her way. When the grandmother wants to see an old plantation (OConnor, 2002: 1941) she remembers from when she was a young lady, she manipulates the children by making up a secret panel (OConnor, 2002: 1941) in order to win them over. She knows that she is not telling the truth but wish[es] that she [was] (OConnor, 2002: 1941). This lie eventually leads the whole family off the main road and towards their fatal end. Just like Connie, the grandmother cares about her outer appearance. Before starting their trip to Florida the grandmother dresses herself in elegant clothes to assure that [i]n case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead [] would know at once that she was a lady (OConnor, 2002: 1938). Likewise, the grandmother emphasizes several times her being a lady during her conversation with the Misfit. She apparently hopes not to be killed due to this fact. But neither the grandmother can stop the Misfit by sweet talk nor Connie Arnold Friend by her beauty.

Connie as well as the grandmother live in blurred realities. Connie is greatly influenced by pop-culture and imagines her love life to be like in movies and promised in songs (Frank, 1995: 6). The boys she feels attracted to she envisions being sweet [and] gentle (Frank, 1995: 6). The grandmother for her part is too much attached to the past with the result that for her the past blends in with the present. Therefore, she confuses the location of the old plantation and when realizing this mistake eventually causes the accident. (The horrible thought she had had before the accident was that the house she had remembered so vividly was not in Georgia but in Tennessee. (OConnor, 2002: 1942)) Connie and the grandmother show a significant difference in their behavior when confronted with the respective criminal in their story. Whereas the grandmother tries to convince the Misfit of not killing her by means of sweet talk (I know youre a good man (OConnor, 2002: 1944)), as mentioned before, Connie rather provokes Friend by telling him to shut up and by stating several times that he is crazy (Frank, 1995:11). The last parallel that I consider important to point out is the grandmothers and Connies change in attitude right before their demise or rape, respectively. The grandmothers gesture of reaching out to the Misfit and calling him one of [her] own children (OConnor, 2002: 1945) at the end of the short story [represents] the intrusion if a moment of grace. So moved, the grandmother recognizes her responsibility for this man and the deep kinship between them. (Jones 1993:125). Likewise, Connie sacrifices herself for her family in a last act of unselfishness when stepping out to Arnold Friend in order to save her family from his cruelties. Even Friend remarks in this moment youre better than them because not a one of th em would have done this for you (Frank 1995: 15).

2.2.

The Misfit Compared to Arnold Friend Both stories feature male criminals as antagonists. The antagonist in A Good

Man Is Hard to Find is the Misfit and in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? it is Arnold Friend. Both criminals have no scruples to kill somebody and they enjoy exercising power over their victims by frightening them to death. The Misfit explicitly describes his attitude towards violence: [] [I]ts nothing for you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can- by killing somebody
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or burning down his house or doing some other meanness to him. No pleasure but meanness (OConnor, 2002: 1947). The same way Arnold Friend enjoys playing out his power when he threatens Connie, Ill hold you so tight you wont think you have to try to get away or pretend anything because youll know you cant. And Ill come inside you where its all secret and youll give in to me and youll love me- (Frank, 1995: 11). Here, one can see the perverted intentions of Friend. He wants to sexually abuse Connie and probably also kill her. Friend does never talk about his reasons for using psychological as well as physical violence against Connie, who on the whole seems to be an innocent victim. He is a psychopath whose behavior is unpredictable. Also The Misfit is a madman who indiscriminately kills people. He commands his partner to take the parents and the children into the woods where they are killed by some pistol shots. There is no reason or motif for this crime and it therefore really puzzles the reader who cannot comprehend such an evil deed. The Misfit has no conscience and he is indifferent about harming people. For him crime[s] dont matter and he even forget[s] what it was [he had] done (OConnor, 2002: 1946). In contrast to Arnold Friend, however, he gives a reflected explanation for his violent way of living. Several times The Misfit emphasizes that Jesus has th[r]own everything off balance (OConnor, 2002: 1946) by raising the dead. At the same time, he also points out that he cannot say with certainty that Jesus really did raise the dead and that this disbelief causes his violent behavior. ([I]f I had [] been there I would [have] known and I wouldnt be like I am now. (OConnor, 2002: 1947)) Since he cannot believe in Jesus, the Misfit established his own kind of religion, namely the religion of violence. His moral code is depraved but consistent in it. The Misfit and Arnold Friend show strange alternations between polite talk and threatening the protagonists. On the one hand, Friend flatters Connie, for example by telling her that he like[s] [women] the way [she is] (Frank, 1995: 11) and on the other hand terrifies her with sentences like these: [a]nybody can break through a screen door and glass and wood and iron or anything else if he needs to, anybody at all, especially Arnold Friend. If the place got lit up with a fire, honey, youd come runnin out into my arms [] (Frank, 1995: 12). The switching from

pretended friendliness to their true cruel self confuses the protagonists even more and increases the threat since the criminals behavior is hard to assess. A difference between Friend and The Misfit can be noted in their degree of being real. No matter how unreal the coincidence of The Misfits arrival might seem, he is a real man and not a supernatural being. The humanity of Arnold Friend can be questioned though. Some critics argue that Arnold Friend can be regarded as the incarnation of the devil. As evidence for this claim they cite his strange looks, because [a]s is usual with Satan, he is in disguise (Wegs, 1979). Friend seems to be wearing a wig (Frank, 1995: 11) and hiding his face behind a mask (Frank, 1995: 11). (His whole face was a mask (Frank, 1995: 12)) Also Connie notes that everything about him [] was only half real (Frank, 1995: 11). Moreover, Connie several times use the word hell in phrases such as Like hell you are (Frank, 1995: 10), Like hell I am-(Frank, 1995: 11) or Get the hell out of here! (Frank, 1995: 11) what further hints the interpretation of Friend as being a symbolic Satan. There is further evidence in the text that supports this interpretation. One critique suggests that the name Arnold Friend is close to Arch Fiend (Wegs: 1979). This claim is rather far-fetched, but with regard to the other hints onto the devil in the text one might also give credit to this reading. At one point in the text, Friend explains his manner of having put an X-sign in the air when [Connie] walked by (Frank, 1995: 9). This behavior reminds of black magic (Wegs, 1979). Supernatural powers are also hinted when Friend reveals his incredibly varied knowledge about Connie, her friends and family. Friend even tells Connie what her family is doing right in that moment that he is talking to her although her family is not present. Whether Friend made up this visions or whether he really has second sight can be debated, the fact, however, that he possesses a wide knowledge about Connie and that he can hardly have gained it from pure observation cannot be denied. The last point that should be mentioned regarding The Misfits and Friends character is their behavior towards their partners. The Misfit is accompanied by Bobby Lee and Hiram. The Misfit instructs Bobby Lee to take the family, except for the grandmother, into the woods in order to shoot them there. Bobby Lee shows no resistance in fulfilling this order. It seems that the Misfit has the power to delegate tasks and to direct his companions. The communication between The Misfit and his partners is quite limited in the story. Nevertheless, the last sentence of The Misfit in

which he tells Bobby Lee to [s]hut up (OConnor, 2002: 1947) indicates that the tone in which The Misfit communicates with them is rather harsh. Compared to Friends behavior towards his partners, however, The Misfits way of talking with Bobby Lee and Hiram appears harmless. Friend uses his partner Ellie Oscar as a means of self-affirmation. His way of talking with Ellie or rather about Ellie is extremely disrespectful. Friend refers to Ellie in derogatory ways in spite of the latter being present and even invites Connie to degrade his partner: [Ellie], hes crazy, [a]int he a riot? Hes a nut, a real character. (Frank, 1995: 10) Another example for his rude way of talking about Ellie is the following one: [] Ellies going to sit in the back, the hell with Ellie, right? This isnt Ellies date. (Frank, 1995: 11) Here, the reader gets the impression that Friend hereby boosts his ego and feels superior to Ellie.

3.

Techniques of Creating Suspense

In both short stories various techniques of creating suspense are applied. The most important ones are outlined in what follows.

3.1.

Narrative Techniques In the short stories Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? and A

Good Man Is Hard to Find a covert heterodiegetic narrator can be identified. In both cases it is an extradiegetic narration. The focalization, however, is internal and focuses on the voice of the protagonist. In A Good Man Is Hard to Find the reader gets to know about the feelings and thoughts of the grandmother through a third person omniscient narrator. For example, when the reader learns about the grandmothers intention to bring her cat with her on the trip: She didnt intend for the cat to be left alone in the house [] because he would miss her too much and she was afraid he might brush against one of the gas burnets and accidently asphyxiate himself. (OConnor, 2002: 1937) This way, the reader gets a deeper insight into the grandmothers point of view and her character. Although the reader might not be able to identify with her actions, he

might nonetheless be able to feel empathy for her which increases the suspense in the end. The same way, the reader might be able to empathize with Connie. Also in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? the reader gets to know Connies thoughts and feelings, told by a third person omniscient narrator. The knowledge of her interior life becomes especially important when Connie encounters Arnold Friend. Here, the reader gets informed about Connie recognizing Friend (And his face was a familiar face, somehow (Frank, 1995: 8)) whereby the situation becomes even more suspenseful. Furthermore, the increasing fear of Connie is projected upon the reader and especially a female reader might be able to understand Connies horror when imagining being in a similar situation (Something roared in her ear, a tiny roaring, and she was so sick with fear that she could do nothing but listen to it (Frank, 1995: 14)) In both stories the reader is drawn into the protagonists fear of the unpredictability of the criminals behavior and the upcoming events. In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?, however, the insight in to the protagonist is greater than in A Good Man Is Hard to Find.

3.2.

Isolation and separation It is striking that in both short stories the main characters confront their

opponents, namely the criminals Friend and The Misfit, alone. In the grandmothers case the rest of the family is taken away into the woods and in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Connie also has to deal with Friend on her own because her family has left for a barbecue right before Friends arrival. While their conversation, Friend also points out that Connies family is at the aunts house, reminding her of her helplessness. The fact that the protagonists are isolated from their family and have no one to help them dramatizes the situation they are in and makes it seem hopeless. At a certain point in the story the reader knows that Bailey, his wife and the children are dead and are not going to rescue the grandmother. Their deaths even highlight the likeliness of the grandmother being killed as well. The same applies for Connies situation: Her family will be gone for a long time because they just left for the barbecue and even if they should intend to

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return soon Friend seems to have the knowledge of every single step they are taking and how to prevent it. Not only are the protagonists separated from their relatives, but also from their familiar surroundings. In A Good Man Is Hard to Find the grandmother is somewhere on the way to Florida off a main road. Nobody seems to pass by there in order to help her. In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Connie is surprised by Friend when she is at home. One might think this circumstance gives her security. On the contrary, in her desperate situation even her home becomes unfamiliar to her. Also Friend points out to her: The place where you came from aint there anymore [] This place you are now- inside your daddys house- is nothing but a cardboard box I can knock down any time. (Frank, 1995: 15) In this situation, not only her home doesnt seem to belong to her anymore, but Connie also feels the separation of her mind from her body: She felt her pounding heart. [] She thought for the first time in her life that it was nothing that was hers, that belonged to her, but just a pounding living thing inside this body that wasnt really hers either. (Frank, 1995: 15) Here, Connie seems to abandon her own self and has psychologically speaking already given herself into Friends hands. The reader might refuse to believe that Connie really seems to be about to surrender to this perverted criminal.

3.3.

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is a significant tool to create suspense in both of the stories by hinting that something evil is going to happen. In the short story A Good Man Is Hard to Find the accident is foreshadowed when the grandmother emphasizes that she wants to look like a lady in case of an accident (OConnor, 2002: 1938). Also the expression accidently occurs several times in the text and hints towards the upcoming accident. Not only is the accident foreshadowed but also the encounter with the Misfit. The grandmother points out the Misfit in the newspaper in the beginning of the story. When they stop by The Tower the grandmother talks with Red Sammys wife about the Misfit. In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? the terrible ending is indicated several times within the text. Right in the beginning it is said that Connie wish[es] her mother [were] dead and she herself [were] dead and it [were ] all over
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(Frank, 1995: 3). This can be read as an indicator of her possible death in the end. There are further hints towards her being killed in the end. When Connie suck[s] in her breath with the pure pleasure of being alive (Frank, 1995: 4) she happens to see Arnold Friend for the first time. This implies that he is the one in the end who literally takes her breath away. At this first encounter Friend promises Connie: Gonna get you, baby (Frank, 1995: 5) what announces his appearance in front of Connies house. From this point on, the reader waits in suspense for Arnold Friend to show up. With some imagination you could also understand the various uses of the expression couldnt help as an indicator of Connies helplessness in the end of the story.

3.4.

Gothic Elements 1 In both short stories gothic elements can be found. Nevertheless, they do not

belong to the genre of Gothic literature since they lack those gothic elements that are most relevant indicators of the gothic genre. However, as before mentioned, certain gothic elements can be found in both of the stories. The first element that can be detected in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? as well as in A Good Man Is Hard to Find is the prevalence of an atmosphere of terror and suspense. This atmosphere dominates the second part of both stories when the criminals arrive and the protagonists fear of having to face their death fills the air. The reader can relate to the apprehension the protagonists feel and is drawn into their state of shock. Another element of gothic that is realized in both of the short stories is the occurrence of unexplainable events which seem to be more than mere coincidence. From one moment to the other the protagonists are put into situations that shake up their whole state of mind. Furthermore, the appearance of supernatural beings belongs to the gothic elements. As mentioned some chapters before, Arnold Friend can be interpreted as being the incarnation of the devil. As we read the story this way also the criteria of supernaturalism is fulfilled. Even Connie senses that Arnold Friend does not seem to be real: [H]e [] had come from nowhere before that and belonged nowhere

Compare Harris, 2011

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and that everything about him [] was only half real. (Frank, 1995: 11) In A Good Man Is Hard to Find the interpretation of The Misfit as being supernatural would lead too far. Even Flannery OConnor emphasizes: There is a change of tension from the first part of the story to the second where the Misfit enters, but this is no lessening of reality. (OConnor, 1993: 62) Moreover, the foreshadowing of the tragic incidents at the end of the stories, as outlined in the previous chapter, also counts among the gothic elements and is included in both short stories. The most obvious gothic element that is realized in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? and A Good Man Is Hard to Find is the threatening of women by a tyrannical male. (Harris, 2011) Both protagonists are female and they both confront a male criminal who has unpredictable intentions which horrify the grandmother and Connie. Connies fear [even] drives her into a grotesque separation of mind from body in which her unconscious self takes over and betrays her. (Wegs, 1979) She is that paralyzed with horror that she is not able to dial the phone anymore.

4.

The structure of the stories When comparing the structure of the short stories Where Are You Going,

Where Have You Been? and A Good Man Is Hard to Find it becomes apparent that they are constructed quite similar except for two minor differences between them. The exposition of both stories consists of the portrayal of some everyday events in the protagonists lives. The reader is able to grasp the protagonists character and their world view. In the case of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? the events being described in the beginning are more ordinary than in A Good Man Is Hard to Find where we get to know th e grandmother while the preparations for the trip and the trip itself. But also in A Good Man Is Hard to Find the events until the accident present nothing special but are normal happenings in a familys life. The first difference between the two stories that can be detected is the existence of a turning point in A Good Man Is Hard to Find whereas the other
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short story has none. At this turning point the whole plot undergoes a change from normality to tragedy. Henceforward, with the arrival of The Misfit the action is rising and suspense is increasing. The same can be seen in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?. Here, the appearance of Arnold Friend leads to a rise in action. Also note that the arrival of both criminals, the Misfit and Friend, takes place in a car and they are accompanied by their partners. A minor climax can be determined when the grandmother and Connie realize the seriousness of the situation they are in. In the grandmothers case this takes place when she gets to know the Misfits identity. The grandmother has read about the Misfit and his violent crimes in the newspaper before and therefore can assume what is about to happen to her. At this point, also the reader might assume the grandmothers fate to be sealed. In the short story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? a similar minor climax can be found, namely when Connie finds out about the perverted intentions of Friend and about his crazy personality. In this moment she realizes: Im not going to see my mother again. [] Im not going to sleep in my bed again. (Frank, 1995: 15) The ultimate climax, however, is located at the end of both stories. It consists of the protagonists demise and their act of grace right before it. In the case of OConnors story the action reaches the highest point when the grandmother reaches out for the Misfit and therefore gets shot by him. Likewise, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? has a tragic ending to its plot. Connie breaks out in hysteria in her house before she eventually gives in to follow Friend in order to protect her family from him. Concluding from what Friend has said he is definitely going to rape her. Whether he is also going to bring about her death cannot be said with certainty.

5.

Conclusion Within the course of this paper it has been shown that the short stories

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? and A Good Man Is Hard to Find have several parallels and have the same shocking effect upon the reader. The character list in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? is comprised of similar characters as the list in A Good Man Is Hard to Find, whereby the tensions of the characters in the first story and in the second are alike. Both stories
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apply different means such as narrative technique, foreshadowing and gothic elements to create suspense as well as an atmosphere of horror. Furthermore, both stories are constructed quite similar leading to a final climax of shock and terror.

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6.

Bibliography

Asals, Frederick, ed. 1993. A Good Man Is Hard to Find- Women writers: Texts and Contexts. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press.

Frank, Klaus. 1995. Contemporary American Authors: Joyce Carol Oates, Two Short Stories: Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?, In the Region of Ice, Text, Annotations, Questions, Points for Discussion. Stuttgart: Landesinstitut fr Erziehung und Unterricht Stuttgart. Harris, Robert. 2011. VirtualSalt: Elements of the Gothic Novel. 8. Sept. 2012. http://www.virtualsalt.com/gothic.htm Jones, Madison. 1993. A Good Mans Predicament. A Good Man Is Hard to Find Women writers: Texts and N.J.: Contexts. Ed. Frederick Asals. New Brunswick,

Rutgers University Press. 119-126.

OConner, Flannery. 2002. A Good Man Is Hard to Find. The Norton Anthology of World Literature:The Twentieth Century. Clinton, Jerome and Robert Danely, eds. Second ed. New York: Norton. OConnor, Flannery. 1993. Background to the Story. A Good Man Is Hard to Find Women writers: Texts and Contexts. Ed. Frederick Asals. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. Phillips, Robert. 1978. The Paris Review: Joyce Carol Oates, The Art of Fiction No. 72. 6. Sept. 2012. http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/3441/the-art offiction-no-72-joyce-carol-oates. Wegs, Joyce. 1979. Dont You Know Who I Am? The Grotesque in Oatess Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?. Critical Essays on Joyce Carol Oates. Ed. Linda Wagner. Boston: G.K. Hall.

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