Critical interpretation has never been a strong point of mine with regards to literature, though I appreciate its utility I am often just looking to “enjoy a finely crafted story.” However, when scouring the critical interpretations presented in Korb’s article the idea of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” as an inverted fairy tale had particular resonance.
My initial readthrough of the story would not have picked up on this idea, so I read it again. To my unending surprise it possessed a lot of the hallmarks of a fairy tale we should all be familiar with-Cinderella. Whereas Cinderella hoped to be rescued from the grasp of her wicked stepmother and stepsisters by Prince Charming, Connie looks to escape the moribund nature of her home life and the oppression of her mother and her “boring sister.” Connie’s mother envies her youth and good looks and favors her sister June just as the evil stepmother favored the stepdaughters in Cinderella. The difference being that Connie seems to be a splitting of the roles from Cinderella-she physically inhabits the role of Cinderella but seems to have co-opted the mean-spirited nature of the wicked stepsisters. She resents her mother’s favoritism of June because, “she was so plain and chunky and steady that Connie had to hear her praised all the time by her mother and her mother’s sisters. June did this, June did that, she saved money and helped clean the house and cooked and Connie couldn’t do a thing, her mind was all filled with trashy daydreams” (Oates). So, June fulfills a lot of the physical role occupied by Cinderella as the oppressed stepdaughter but possesses none of the malice. This inversion continues with the subversion of the role of Prince Charming in the form of Arnold Friend. As Korb notes, “Connie is joined not with Prince Charming but with the Prince of Darkness” (Korb 1). She initially encounters him at the drive thru in what any fairy tale would characterize as the love at first sight meeting. However, in this instance their meeting is instilled with a particular sense of horror, “He stared at her and then his lips widened into a grin. Connie slit her eyes at him and turned away, but she couldn’t help glancing back and there he was, still watching her. He wagged a finger and laughed and said, “Gonna get you, baby,” and Connie turned away again without Eddie noticing anything” (Oates). More the stuff of a horror movie than your initial encounter with Cinderella’s Prince Charming, thus another example of the inverted fairy tale.
One thought on “Christopher Frerichs Discussion #5”
Christopher, it’s good to hear that your feelings about literary critique were changed a bit by the Korb article. Some literary critiques are dry and boring, but I think this one is endlessly fascinating for all the reasons you point out. The story is full of allusions to fairytales even down to the pumpkin on the side of Friend’s car. In addition to “Cinderella,” which you very clearly discuss, there are references to “The Three Little Pigs,” and “Little Red Riding Hood.”