Author's Website

Joyce Carol Oates

     The link, http://www.usfca.edu/jco/, will bring you to the official website of Joyce Carol Oates. It is here where I found pictures of her ranging from early adulthood to much later in life. This was very interesting in itself because I was used to picturing a very old woman writing everything, when in fact she was young when she started her career in writing.
     The most intriguing thing on her website to me was under the "Biography" tab. The following written passage from Oates was found here:

Stories That Define Me

A drunken peasant in czarist Russia is beating his overburdened, dying horse, a mare, and the child Raskolnikov and his father happen upon the scene. Raskolnikov wants to save the horse, but his father pulls him away, saying, as fathers have so frequently—so necessarily—said: It's none of our business.

When I first read "Crime and Punishment" some time in my late teens, and came upon this image, it struck me as neither melodramatic nor lurid; nor was it, in its subtle configuration (child-witness, helpless "civilized" father, brutal "natural" peasant, female horse), anything other than a paradigmatic image, for me, of how the larger world—the world outside the home, the schoolroom, the library—is constituted. A melancholy vision, a "tragic" vision, but inevitable. Uplifting endings and resolutely cheery world views are appropriate to television commercials but insulting elsewhere. It is not only wicked to pretend otherwise, it is futile. If all a serious writer can hope to do is bear witness to such suffering, and to the experience of those lacking the means or the ability to express themselves, then he or she must bear witness, and not apologize for failing to entertain, or for "making nothing happen"—in Auden's derisory phrase.

—Joyce Carol Oates



     The most important part of this passage is when Oates says, "Uplifting endings and resolutely cheery world views are appropriate to television commercials but insulting elsewhere. It is not only wicked to pretend otherwise, it is futile." This outlook shows the reasoning behind Oates's harsh, realistic, and violent writing style. She uses the passage from "Crime and Punishment" as inspiration in her writing because so often that is what happens in real life. More often than not, people will stand by and watch something wrong happening instead of standing up and doing the right thing. Joyce Carol Oates portrays this reality in her writing instead of giving people false hope by writing with happy endings and demonstrating that most people in the world are good and will stand up for what is right, when in reality, as much as we would like to think that most people have other's best intentions in mind, that is not the case. This might give further insight and also be a reason why Oates is an atheist.

Online Video Featuring Oates

     In this video, Oates gives us the reasoning behind why she chose to dedicate her short story, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" to Bob Dylan. At the time she was writing this short story, Bob Dylan just came out with his song, It's All Over Now Baby Blue, and several other songs in the same album. Oates says, "That song and other songs were like fairy tales, or rather nursery rhymes that had gone wrong." She continues to expand on that thought by saying the gothic imagery in the song is very much like the imagery she uses in this story, so she decided to dedicate it to him. We talked about why she might have dedicated it to him in class, so I thought it would be a good idea to get the reasoning clarified.

Short Story #3: Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

     I am not going to give an overview of this story because we have to read it for class anyway, but this short story of Joyce Carol Oates instead of focusing on violence, hints at it through Arnold Friend's threats to come into her house if she doesn't give in to what he wants. This story is sexually based, which is also a pattern that I have noticed throughout Oates's writing in "Will You Always Love Me," and her novel, Them. Her writing focuses a lot on rape, sexual innuendoes, and murder (both physical murder and emotional murder). In "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" the main character, Connie, is being emotionally murdered because she loses all sense of herself, who she is, and what she should do when Arnold tries to get her to come to his car. She has no adult there to protect her. 
     It is definitely interesting to discover certain patterns in Oates's writing, and discerning her short stories.

Short Story #2: Will You Always Love Me?

     In the short story, "Will You Always Love Me?", one of the main characters, Harry, falls in love with a woman, Andrea, who works in the same building as him. She is different from most women. He can't seem to capture her attention because she is always focused on something else. Eventually, he strikes up a connection between the two of them, but she is still very guarded with her past and doesn't ask him any questions pertaining to his past either. Once they have a relationship for a while, Harry finally finds out about the reasons behind Andrea being so guarded through a telephone call she receives. Andrea then delves into her past with Harry where she entrusts the story of her nineteen-year-old sister's death. Being fifteen at the time of her sister's death, now thirty-four, Andrea is still haunted with the violent, gory details of the murder. The following passage will enlighten you:


This much, Harry learned: In the early evening of April, 13, 1973, Andrea's nineteen-year-old sister Frannie, visiting their widowed grandmother in Wakulla Beach, Florida, was assaulted while walking in a deserted area of the beach-beaten, raped, strangled with her shorts. Her body was dragged into a culvert where it was discovered by a couple walking their dog within an hour, before the grandmother would have had reason to report her missing. Naked from the waist down, her face so badly battered with a rock that her left eye dangled from its socket, the cartilage of her nose was smashed, and teeth broken-Frannie McClure was hardly recognizable. It would be discovered that her vagina and anus had been viciously lacerated and much of her pubic hair torn out. Rape may have occurred after her death. (Oates 614)


     From this disturbing passage, we see yet again the violence in Oates's writing, this being the most violent that I have come across yet. I was extremely taken aback by the violence in this passage, and this makes me even more surprised yet that Oates is offended when people ask her if anything has happened in her past to influence her violent writing. What else would inspire somebody to write such detailed, nauseating, gory descriptions?
     The phone call that Andrea received had to do with the man who was convicted of murdering her sister, and  Andrea was being informed that he was trying to get on parole after being sentenced to prison for life. The thing that I found most interesting about this short story was whether or not the convicted murderer was actually guilty or not. The police seemed to have just found the first drug-addict off the street, and got him to confess to it by confusing him and getting him to do what they wanted. Andrea believes him to be the murderer though, and goes in to speak on behalf of her dead sister to make sure that he stays in jail for the rest of his life.

Short Story #1: Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear

Overview:

     "I'm actually almost eighteen but look like thirteen. No boobs, and a bitty ass like two half-doughnuts. My skin so pale you can see weird little purple veins in my forehead" (Oates 190). This quote is physically describing the main character in Joyce Carol Oates's short story, "Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear."A name is never mentioned for this girl, but she has an I.Q. of 162, the average range is considered to be 90-110, so hers is way above average. Also, she does extremely well all throughout high school achieving the high honor roll, until her senior year when her grades aren't so hot. This is portrayed in the following line, "My grades are fucked but they won't keep a "school diploma" from me" (191). This girl isn't failing because she wants to, but rather because her mom is extremely sick and she has had to spend her time selflessly caring for her mom and looking after her.

     However, the real meat of the story does not center on this background information. The main focus of the story is on a man who drives past this girl's house who she recognizes as the handsome man in his thirties who helped her at Eckerd's. Once the girl recognizes that she knows him, she can't stop thinking about him. She thinks, "My premonition is, you will reappear on North Fork Road. Take me by surprise, I won't know when" (191). She sits on her steps waiting for him to drive by and recognize her to take her away from the miserable life she is currently leading. The story ends with the girl's final comment, "Why shouldn't I be happy, I am happy. I'm waiting" (191).

Analysis:

     First of all, I was very surprised that this story didn't contain violence; I was somewhat expecting somebody to get shot at the end. This story did, however, include the harsh reality of a brilliant girl having to put aside her talent to care for her mother. Oates has a way of bringing the reader into a life where the character is helpless to the circumstances they are in because that is the reality of life; sometimes there are circumstances that are beyond a person's control.    

     This short story reminded me of the short story that we discussed today in class, Ursula LeGuin's "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas." The recurring theme in LeGuin's short story is happiness and how the people in the city of Omelas are very outwardly happy; however, they are really not happy at all living every day knowing that a child is suffering in order to ensure that their lives remain perfect. In Oates's "Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear," the girl isn't really happy even though she says that she is in that last line, "Why shouldn't I be happy, I am happy, I'm Waiting" (191). Are you happy when you are waiting in the three-hour line for the Superman ride at Six Flags? Are you happy when you are in the doctor's office waiting for your name to be called? Are you happy when you apply for a job and are waiting for them to contact you? Nobody is ever happy when they are waiting.   

     

    

Interview w/ Oates

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgJ809QKmas

     In this video, we really get a sense of the passion Oates has for her writing. Oates describes how she creates characters in a process of creating dialogue for them, and developing who they are through that dialogue. Oates can be very inspirational for other writers by teaching them her thought processes. It is great to finally get a complete sense of who she is by watching her and listening to her speak. Do you agree?

Them: Loretta

     Her name was Loretta; she was pleased with that name too, though Loretta Botsford pleased her less. Her last name dragged down on her, it had no melody...Her face was rather full, and there was a slight mischievous puffiness about her cheeks that made her look younger than she was-she was sixteen-and her eyes were blue, a mindless, bland blue, not very sharp. Her lips were painted a deep scarlet, exactly the style of the day. Her eyebrows were plucked in exactly the style of the day...She wore a navy-blue dress pulled in tight at the waist. Her waist was surprisingly narrow, her shoulders a little broad, almost masculine; she was a strong girl. Upon her competent shoulders sat this fluttery, dreamy head, blond hair puffed out and falling down in coquettish curls past her ears, past her collar, down onto her back, so that when she ran along the sidewalk it blew out behind her and men stopped to stare at her; never did she bother to glance back at these men-they were like men in movies who do not appear in the foreground but only focus interest, show which way interest should be directed. She was in love with the thought of this. (15-16)

     As requested, this passage gives a description of the sixteen-year-old Loretta from the previous post on Them from last week. This should give a clear image as to who Loretta was when a murder took place right beside her in bed and also when she got raped.

     As the story unfolds, Loretta gives birth to three children: Jules, Maureen, and Betty. Jules is her firstborn son who is very energetic, and brings new life around the house. The mystery behind Jules is that Loretta is not sure whether he is Bernie's (her first love) or Howard's (her husband) son. The story seems to take a turn from focusing on Loretta to focusing more on Jules.

Book #1: Them

        Immediately, within the first chapter of reading Them, I was thrust into a different world. Sixteen-year-old Loretta, the main character, is harshly woken into reality when her older brother blasts a bullet through the skull of the boy, Bernie, sleeping next to her in bed. I suddenly had a hunch why Oates is known for her violent writing. 
        Loretta is saved by a police officer who suddenly "falls in love" with her, and tries to save her from the town finding out what has taken place in her bed, both before the shooting and after. In an act of "mercy," Howard, the police officer, makes an advance towards Loretta:


         They stared at each other for a long moment. Loretta felt nothing at all; her skull was hollow, burned out. Then she heard him unzipping his pants. She half rose, maybe to run out of the place or maybe to make it easier for him, and he grabbed hold of her and the two of them stumbled back against the table. He had begun to moan, clumsily and softly, as if in pain. Loretta saw the dishes still piled in the sink. She saw the clock on the icebox but didn't have time to see what it said.
        "Don't you worry about it, not that little bastard," Howard said, clutching at her, pulling up her dress, "don't you think about him, not about him the hell with him!"
        And then, struggling with Howard, struggling to make it easier for him, she did think of Bernie for the first time: he was dead. She had loved him and he was dead and she would never see him again. Never would he come to her the way Howard was trying to come to her. He was dead, it was over, finished, that was the end of her youth. She tried not to think of it again. (49-50)


        After being woken into a harsh reality, Loretta is forced to continue life married to Howard as a pregnant woman. Through these acts of violence, Oates portrays how reality can catch you off guard and that life isn't all fun and games. I'm interested to see what the point of this novel is going to be, and if there is a happy ending. Knowing Oates, though, one can conclude that it will not only be an unhappy ending, but a violent one as well.

Theme: Violence

        "When people say there is too much violence in [my books], what they are saying is there is too much reality in life." Joyce Carol Oates does not believe that her written works are particularly violent, but rather believes that her writing portrays reality in a way that doesn't sugar-coat anything. She finds it offensive that people (like me) jump to the conclusion that something must have happened in her lifetime to influence her to write about such topics. In her own essay, "Why is Your Writing So Violent?" she says, "it is always an insulting question; and it is always sexist;" a male writer would never be asked the same question. 
        Another issue that Oates brings to light is how men and women are "designated" certain topics to write about based on their gender.  Oates states: "It was once put to me directly, and no doubt has often been suggested by indirection, that I should focus my writing on 'domestic' and 'subjective' material, in the manner (for instance) of Jane Austen or Virginia Woolf, that I should leave large social-philosophical issues to men." This view expressed by Oates reminded me of the article we read in class, "When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision," by Adrienne Rich. In this article, an identical view is shared, even in the reference to Virginia Woolf:


        No male writer has written primarily or even largely for women, or with the sense of women's criticism as a consideration when he chooses his materials, his theme, his language. But to a lesser or greater extent, every woman writer has written for men even when, like Virginia Woolf, she was supposed to be addressing women. If we have come to the point when this balance might begin to change, when women can stop being haunted, not only by 'convention and propriety' but by internalized fears of being and saying themselves, then it is an extraordinary moment for the woman writer-and reader (20).


        Interestingly, both of these articles were published within ten years of one another, Rich's in 1972 and Oates's in 1981, which means that these were the ideas being expressed during that time period. Oates's writing must have helped to open the door for other women writers when it came to the harsh topics that she chose to write about that were generally considered "male topics." Does this mean that Oates's writing was revolutionary towards a women's feminist movement? I have yet to explore Oates's role as a feminist; however, I am sure that I will find plenty on this new unearthed topic.

Why Joyce Carol Oates?

        Ugly and weird. My first impression of Joyce Carol Oates. Not very nice, huh? Although my judgement was definitely clouded by a rather awful picture of her, Oates began to capture my attention the minute my eyes scanned the lines of her biography. Several questions came to mind immediately that made me want to learn more about her: What happened in her life that made her switch her religious views from Catholic to atheist? Why is violence a recurring theme throughout her written work? Did something traumatic happen to her? How did Oates have the inner-drive to graduate college as valedictorian when she alone was the first in her family to even finish high school?

        Joyce Carol Oates was born on June 16, 1938, and ever since, she grew up with a passion for reading and writing. She graduated Syracuse University as valedictorian in 1960, and pursued careers in teaching and in writing. Oates married Raymond J. Smith in 1961 and described their relationship as “a very collaborative and imaginative marriage” because they shared a love for reading and often discussed their books during mealtimes. After I had more of a sense of who Oates was based on reading about her rather than just looking at her picture (which is never a good idea), I gained the sense of a woman who was used to working hard on the family farm as a child, and who then carried that hard working drive over to her academic and written work. She is bold in her writing topics of rural poverty, sexual abuse, class tensions, desire for power, female childhood and adolescence, and occasionally the supernatural. I am interested to see how exactly Oates portrays violence throughout her work because it is a theme for which she is best known for.

        There are a few novels that I would love to try to read of hers this semester, but if I were to choose one, it would be Them. This novel is considered to be Oates’s best work and quite honestly, I would much rather read a story that is considered her best work than her worst. If I did have time for two novels, my second choice would be Blonde. Oates recommends both of these books as her favorites and the best ones to start out with, so I am going to follow her advice. My next planned step is to read Oates’s essay, “Why Is Your Writing So Violent?” to help me understand if there is an underlying cause to the violence in her work, and then I would like to check the novel, Them, out of a library to begin reading next week so that I might have time to read Blonde as well.