Introduction
Where are you going is a story of a young girl named Connie. She has a poor relationship with her mother, who prefers her sister June over her. Connie’s mother scolds her at every opportunity and they enjoy a superficial relationship. June and her friends regularly go out. Connie’s mother approves of everything June does. Connie takes advantage of this to also go out. On a later date, the entire family is invited to a family gathering. Connie refuses to go and prefers to stay at home (Oates, 651). A man named Arnold Friend turns up at Connie’s doorstep. He wants to take Connie out on a date. Arnold turns up with a friend named Billy in a gold painted car with flashy paintings, a transistor radio playing Connie’s favorite music. All these are appealing to Connie but she does not want to go out with Arnold, much to his chagrin. Good Country People is a short story of a lady named Joy Hulga (O’Connor, 721). She is well educated. She also has a heart condition and a wooden prosthesis. She lost her leg in a hunting accident when she was ten years old. Mrs. Hopewell is Hulga’s mother. Manley Pointer is a nineteen year old bible salesman. He looks innocent and appealing to Mrs. Hopewell. His demeanor impresses Mrs. Hopewell so much that she invites him for dinner. Hulga is spiteful and condescending to Manley Pointer. She feels like she can manipulate him due to her education. Pointer visits one afternoon and takes Hulga out for a walk. They both kiss and Pointer demands that Hulga professes her love to him. He also demands to be shown where her wooden prosthetic leg is attached to the rest of the body. He takes the wooden leg, after telling Hulga that in fact, Manley Pointer is not his real name. Both Arnold Friend and Manley Pointer are manipulative characters. Both short stories illustrate certain similarities in the traits exhibited by both Arnold and Pointer.
Both Arnold Friend and Manley Pointer select naïve but beautiful targets to manipulate. In the story ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’ Arnold’s case, he selects Connie as a primary target for manipulation. Connie believes in romantic love, a belief that is reinforced by her taste in music. Arnold Friend may have stalked Connie, and this is proven since he already knows her name (Mancelos, 119). He arrives with a transistor radio belting out the tunes of Connie’s favorite music(Oates, 654). Connie is a vulnerable target and Arnold is able to exploit this to his advantage. Similar to Arnold’s case, in the story ‘God Country People’ Manley Pointer manipulates Hulga. Hulga appears to be a strong woman, as shown by her relatively advanced age of 30 years, and her level of education (Gale). She therefore feels that she is in control of herself and everything revolving around her life. Pointer uses this false sense of security, to his advantage, and against her. By letting Hulga feel in control, Pointer successfully gets close to her. Pointer also manipulates Hulga’s mother, Mrs. Hopewell. He tells Mrs. Hopewell that he is from the countryside(O’Connor, 721). Mrs. Hopewell thus trusts him since, according to her, people from the countryside are good hearted people. In addition, Pointer has a heart condition that is similar to the one Hulga is suffering from (Gale). This helps him get acquitted quickly to Mrs. Hopewell. The fact that Manley Pointer sells bibles means that Mrs. Hopewell is able to trust him fully. He comes off as a devoted Christian and as a result, Mrs. Hopewell even invites him into the house for dinner. By selecting naïve and easily gullible targets, both Arnold Friend and Manley Pointer are able to implement their manipulative schemes at ease.
symbols of power
Both Arnold Friend and Manley Pointer possess symbols of power. In the story Good Country People, Manley Pointer is a bible salesman (Gale).This trait appeals to Mrs. Hopewell. He is poorly dressed and comes from the countryside. According to Mrs. Hopewell, people from the countryside are good hearted people. Manley Pointer also has a heart condition that is similar to the one that Hulga suffers from(O’Connor, 728). All these traits put Manley Pointer in good stead with Mrs. Hopewell and Hulga. Mrs. Hopewell believes Pointer is a good hearted person. Hulga believes that Pointer is someone she can easily control. Similarly, Arnold Friend possesses symbols of power. He has a car, which is gold painted, and has flashy paintings (Mancelos, 122). Arnold arrives with a transistor radio which is belting out Connie’s favorite tune. Arnold Friend is well dressed, and has sunglasses on. These characteristics are appealing to Connie. Arnold has a well-built body, is well endowed, and has long black hair(Oates, 656). All these traits are easily noticeable to Connie. As a result, Connie inadvertently drops her guard and allows Arnold to get too close for comfort. By virtue of possessing the above mentioned symbols of power, ensure that the primary targets of manipulation, Hulga and Connie, yield to the advances of both Manley Pointer and Arnold Friend respectively.
Both Arnold Friend and Manley Pointer approach their victims while they are at their most vulnerable selves. Arnold Friend targets Connie when she is home alone (Mancelos, 123). As illustrated in the story ‘Where are you going’, Connie refuses to attend a family gathering with her parents and sister, June. Arnold Friend is aware of this fact and knows that the family will not be back soon. He uses this fact to victimize Connie. Connie is also young, at fifteen years old. She notices that Arnold is lying about his age, and looks at least 18 years old. His friend Billy is described as having a 40 year old face. The absence of an adult guardian within the vicinity means that Arnold is able to get to Connie easily, without any significant resistance or deterrence. Connie’s vulnerability is seen when she begins to panic and gets sweaty. She screams and reaches out for the phone, but is unable to make a call to her mother or the police due to fear. Arnold also assumes an authoritative and angry voice, which scares Connie even further(Oates, 657). Similarly, in the story Good People Country, Manley Pointer targets Hulga when she is at her most vulnerable. He takes Hulga out for a walk to an isolated place. They are alone and no one can possibly hear Hulga scream. The two kiss and Pointer demands that Hulga professes her love to him. Pointer is physically imposing and intimidating. This fact is proven when Hulga reveals her real age. Pointer is undeterred by this revelation. Pointer demands that Hulga shows him where her prosthetic leg is attached to the rest of the bodyO’Connor, 739). He removes it and leaves with the prosthetic leg, and her spectacles, which would definitely make her return home more difficult. The vulnerability of both Connie and Hulga emboldens both Arnold and Manley to proceed with their manipulative schemes.
Conclusion
In conclusion the short stories, ‘Where are you going’ and ‘Good Country People’ show how manipulative people can become. Through the characters of Arnold Friend and Manley Pointer respectively, the stories show how the victims, Connie and Hulga, are clouded by false senses of security when they encounter their aggressors. Connie and Hulga are drawn to the symbols of power, namely the flashy car and music towed along by Arnold Friend, and the humility exhibited by Manley Pointer. Finally, both Arnold Friend and Manley Pointer approach both Connie and Hulga when they are at their most vulnerable. Connie is young and home alone, while Hulga is in an isolated place, without her prosthetic leg and spectacles.
Works Cited
Mancelos, Joao de. “The dynamics of coercion and fear in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”’ a story by Joyce Carol Oates.” Mathesis 22 (2013): 117-124.
Gale, Cengage Learning. A Study Guide for Flannery O’Connor’s Good Country People. Gale, Cengage Learning, 2015.
Oates, Joyce Carol. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” The Story and its Writer- An Introduction To Short Fiction. Fawcett, 1974, pp. 652- 663.
O’Connor, Flannery. Good Country People. The Story and Its Writer. Fawcett, pp. 721-740.
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