Creepy Friend
While growing up, my parents always told me to “stay away from strangers”. Joyce Carol Oates’ story “Where are you going, where have you been” addresses this topic in a much more extreme case. “Where are you going, where have you been” is about a young girl named Connie. She is a much different person when hanging out with friends then she is at home. One Sunday afternoon, when her family was all at their aunt’s house, Connie got a visit from Arnold Friend and even though she didn’t know it right away, Arnold was going to change her life. The movie “Smooth Talk” that was made after “Where are you going, where have you been”, was very similar to it. The only main distinction was at the end of the movie, Connie returns home after the drive with Arnold. In the story, you never find out what happened to her. Different themes and techniques made the story by Oates much creepier then the movie “Smooth Talk”.
The main theme of the film “Smooth Talk” seemed to vary from the theme of “Where are you going, where have you been”. The overall message I received from the movie was that you have to watch out for people like Arnold Friend, who was a pedophile. Like at the end of the movie when Connie returns home and dances with her sister, she convinces herself that she never went on the ride with Arnold. The movie seemed to focus around the discussion between Connie and Arnold, where as the story seemed to have a deeper meaning. If you read into all the details Oates included in the story, it seems Arnold Friend can represent the devil. Whenever the devil is brought into a piece of literature or movie, he is what causes people to do bad things by persuading them into making bad decisions. If you look at the movie, Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny, the image of the devil is used in a similar way. “You guys, having some satanic guitar pick isn’t gonna make your rock any better… because Satan’s not in a guitar pick, he’s inside all of us. In here [taps their chests] in your hearts. He’s what makes us not want to go to work, or exercise, or tell the truth. He’s what makes us want to party and have sex with each other all night long. He’s that little voice in your mind that says ‘Fuck you’ to the people you hate”. That is one of many quotes in Tenacious D that convey a similar idea.
The Essay on Arnold Fiend/ No Friend
A protagonist by the name of Connie in the story short story entitled “Where are you going, Where have you been” by Joyce Carol Oates, soon learns that her trashy daydreams and self-absorbed behavior only leads to disaster by way of a man named Arnold Friend. Arnold Friend character in this story represents the devil. Connie, a horny high school freshman shows a strong disdain for family values ...
In Oates’ story, Arnold Friend reminds me of the Devil because he never actually does anything but talk to Connie. The devil is known in media for tempting and convincing people to do the wrong things. Arnold eventually convinces her to leave her house and take a ride with him. Arnold Friend seemed a lot different in the story compared to how he was in the movie. In “Smooth Talk”, he basically seemed like he just wanted to get Connie to come for a ride. He was your typical pedophile and I got a feeling Connie was never actually in peril. How Arnold acted in the book made me feel a little bit more concerned for Connie’s well being. He actually threatened to kill Connie’s family if she didn’t come out of the house. Both Connie and Arnold seemed to be deceptive in the story. Connie is a completely different person when she is at home. She is almost a different person; everything about her is changed. She wears her clothes differently, she puts on make-up, she walks different, and she acts in a different manner. Arnold also seems fake throughout the entire conversation between them. At first he looked like a regular guy who just wanted to talk to Connie and take her out. As Connie gets a better look at him, she realizes how he is much older then she is. He looked to be thirty years old, even though he says he is only eighteen. It also seemed his face was fake, almost as if he were wearing a mask. As he moved his sunglasses, he carefully placed them on his head as if he was trying not to mess anything up.
The Essay on Sir Henry Movie Book Stapleton
Imagine if you had to read about the Titanic, instead having the pleasure of watching it. Wouldn t it be boring That s why movies are preferred over books. Movies have everything. A s ance, romance and suspense are all parts of a good movie. Books can only help the reader imagine the plot, but the movie actually takes the reader there. The movie version of The Hound of the Baskervilles starring ...
Although the story and the movie have the same general story, they use very different techniques to portray the characters and ideas. The story is full of descriptive words to show the reader important details all through the story. Like, at the beginning when they describe how Connie changes from how she is at home, and how she is when she goes out with friends. Also, when describing Arnold Friend, Oates goes into great detail to give you an image of what Arnold looks like and how he acts. The movie used different techniques like lighting and music to convey similar things. As the situation between Connie and Arnold began to become tense, you began to hear dark, ominous, tones in the background.
The major difference between the story and the movie was the ending of both. Oates’ story ended simply by telling you Connie left the house and was about to take a ride with Arnold. The ending is a nice cliffhanger and was vague enough to let the reader come up with their own idea of what happened. You are led to believe he drove away, raped her and then killed her. By ending the story with a cliffhanger, Oates leaves you with an eerie feeling about what just happened. “Smooth Talk” ended with Connie’s family coming home and Connie talking to her sister. She began to tell June how she went in the car with Arnold, but then says it didn’t even happen. The way she is acting after Arnold dropped her off leads you to believe they had sex, and then he brought her home. Also, the book had a great part where Arnold threatens to kill Connie’s family if she doesn’t come outside. “I’m the boy for you and like I said, you come out here nice like a lady and give me your hand, and nobody gets hurt, I mean, your nice old bald-headed daddy and your mummy and your sister in her high heels. Because listen: ‘why bring them in this’?”. This showed just how dangerous and potentially harmful Arnold really is. The movie didn’t have that scene and it didn’t give Arnold that same vibe.
When a movie comes out that was made after a book, the two are seldom the same. They contain similar ideas and the same fundamental story, but the little details are always different. Many times this changes the entire story. Books are able to contain much more detail then they could ever incorporate in a movie. But the producers make up for that by adding the “Hollywood ending”. They have to make films appropriate for as many viewing audiences as possible, so they make as much money off the film as possible. Books are more targeted to a specific group of readers. Because of all the details included in the story, Arnold gave off a much creepier vibe then he did in the movie. Books also are able to have underlying themes and messages, where as movies are more for viewing pleasure and entertainment.
The Essay on The Influence of Movies vs. Books
Books and movies both have equal importance for the man of 21st century. As the technology develops so are the needs of man. Every one’s life has become quite fast and busy. Books and movies provide you the best way to escape and relax yourself from busy schedule. Great revolution has occurred in both books and movies with the passage of time. Firstly if we talk about movies, they have great ...