Reference no: EM133330541

Question 1: Explain why you think Connie is or is not a typical teenage girl, as Joyce Carol Oates depicts her early in the story. Which of her qualities strike you as specific to an earlier time period, and which seem more characteristic of teenagers in general?

Question 2: How does Connie distance herself from her family and her perception of their values? Pay particular attention to the contrasts Oates draws in paragraph 5.

Question 3: What part does June play in Connie's characterization? What elements of Connie's character and struggle to construct an identity independent of her family does June's presence emphasize?

Question 4: Examine the relationship between Connie and her mother. Early in the story, Connie thinks her mother "noticed everything and knew everything" (par. 1) but later thinks of her as "simple and kindly" (par. 11). How do Connie's ideas about her mother help develop the characterization of Connie? Do you find Connie's version of her mother's preference for her over June (par. 11) convincing? Explain why or why not.

Question 5: What does Arnold Friend mean when he tells Connie, "The place where you came from ain't there any more, and where you had in mind to go is cancelled out" (par. 153)? What does place mean in this context, and how is Connie's identity destined by it?

Analyzing Language, Style, and Structure

Question 6: How is Arnold Friend characterized by the external descriptions Oates provides of his physical features and his clothes? What does his dialogue add? Is he a three-dimensional character or a stereotypical one? Examine the passage where Connie first sees him (par. 7). Why is she drawn to Arnold Friend?

Question 7: Why does Oates describe Arnold as having "the voice of the man on the radio now" (par. 89)? What is the significance of Connie's later recognition that Arnold spoke "with a slight rhythmic lilt, ... [his words] the echo of a song from last year" (par. 119)?

Question 8: How does Oates convey the mounting fear Connie feels in the last pages of the story? Note the ways in which she shifts from Connie being the agent of her own actions to Connie being just an observer, such as, "She watched herself push the door slowly open" (par. 161). By the end, is Connie acting out of concern for her family or blind fear? What or who is controlling her actions?