Rena Korb suggested that the story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” as an “inverted fairy tale” is intriguing and completely valid. Her interpretation suggests that the story sways from the conventional fairy tale elements. Instead of having a heroic protagonist fighting some supernatural forces, we have a young girl named Connie dealing with a genuine and very dangerous person, Arnold Friend. I think Korb’s interpretations are valid and insightful. It helps us see how the story takes familiar fairy tale elements and reverses them to create a darker narrative. Several aspects of the story can support this interpretation through the protagonist’s transformation, the antagonist, and the lack of a hero.
In a fairy tale, the protagonist would transform; often, this transformation would be for the greater good. However, in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” The change for Connie was not positive. She went from being a carefree adult to a constantly vulnerable and fearful one. This reversal of the typical fairy tale arc adds to the story’s darker narrative and makes it an intriguing read.
As for the villains of a traditional fairy tale, they would usually be supernatural beings or wicked characters with magical powers. In contrast, Arnold Friend is a realistic antagonist with no supernatural abilities or magical powers. This deviation from the conventional fairy tale bad guy stereotype makes the story scarier, as it could happen in real life. It also makes the reader question what they would do if they were in Connie’s shoes.
The lack of a hero in the story also adds to its darker narrative. Connie’s family is unaware of what is happening to her, and she must face Arnold Friend alone. This lack of support further highlights her danger and the reality of the situation.
Overall, I agree with Rena Korb’s interpretation of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” as an “inverted fairy tale,” I think it adds depth and character to the story, turning a potential fairy tale story into a darker version of it.
One thought on “Kevin Lam’s Discussion 5”
Kevin, thanks for the good comments. Arnold Friend actually does seem to have some powers. In the story he is described as someone who seems to come out of nowhere. He also seems to have crossed paths with the dead neighbor. There are mysterious numbers written on his car (which actually refer to a Biblical passage.
The title of Oates’s story is taken almost directly from Judges 19:17. The translations differ only slightly, but the essence of the passage is the same: Where are you going, where have you been? One of the closest translations to the title of the story is The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures [. . .] which reads: “When he raised his eyes he got to see the man, the traveler, in the public square of the city. So the old man said: ‘Where are you going, and where do you come from?’”
The significance of the passage, apart from giving the story’s title, is that Judges is the 33rd book from the end of the Old Testament, the chapter is the 19th, and the verse is the 17th. Thus the numbers “33, 19, 17” refer to this passage. (60) (https://journals.openedition.org/jsse/786#:~:text=The%20title%20of%20Oates's%20story,going%2C%20where%20have%20you%20been%3F)