Comparison of Smooth Talk to “Where Are You Going, Where...

Comparison of Smooth Talk to â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† Joyce Carol Oakes’s short story, â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† was written in 1966 and twenty years later was made into a movie entitled Smooth Talk, winner of the 1985 U.S. Film Festival for best dramatic picture. The writing by Oates is loosely based on a true story described as â€Å"the tale of Charles Schmid, a twenty-three-year-old who cruises teenage hangouts, picking up girls for rides in his gold convertible† (Johnson 160). I say â€Å"loosely based† since the author purposely omits facts that she has read in newspaper and magazine articles, facts that would lend humanness to the demonic nature of a man she has cleverly and ironically named Arnold†¦show more content†¦In contrast, by implying in her short story that Connie is already sexually active, author Joyce Oates deepens the terror of the screen-door meeting by focusing not on just the sexually persuasive nature of Arnold Friend but also on the demonic trance-like state he uses in order to control his victims. Apparently the authors of the three critical interpretations differ, too, in their views of whether Connie has been sexually active prior to her meeting with Friend. Greg Johnson states, â€Å"Oates makes clear that Friend represents Connie’s initiation not into sex itself† she is already sexually experienced â€Å"but into sexual bondage† (161), while Joan D. Winslow argues that Connie has â€Å"not yet experienced sexual intercourse, but she is moving toward it† (162). Both the movie and the story emphasize the dramatic separation of understanding between Connie and her mother. The apparent lack of depth in Connie and her father’s relationship dims in comparison to the almost-tangible hatred Connie seems to feel toward her mother, her mother â€Å"who had been pretty once too, but now her looks were gone, and that was why she was always after Connie† (Oates 148). Despite the anger she feels, however, it is her mother that Connie cries out to for help in both versions as she sees herself forced to give into Friend’s wishes in an attempt to spare her family the evil he hints will comeShow MoreRelatedCc Between Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? and the Movie Smooth Talk747 Words   |  3 PagesWhere have you Been Smooth Talking? In the short story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? By Joyce Carol Oates, the lifestyle of protagonist Connie is described. Connie was a typical 15-year-old. She was outgoing, fun, and social. She had the worst relationship with her mother and her relationship with her father was not explained because he was not home much. Connie’s main concern was boys; she would do anything to meet up with them. That is not always a good idea because you never knowRead MoreWhere Are You Going?1024 Words   |  5 PagesEnglish 1301 9 September 2015 Comparing Joyce Carol Oates â€Å"Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?† to the film Smooth Talk Joyce Carol Oates, author of the fictional short story, where are you going, where have you been? Emphasizes a taunting tone to convey Connie s restrained reaction towards Arnold Friend s presence. 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