Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

There are many ways a story can be written. Novels, poems, biographies, and more, most stories all share a common trait. The trait is that they are based on experience. Whether it is based on one’s own experience or another, every story comes from something people have seen before. This also includes fictional stories, as everything must be grounded in some type of reality. Reading stories like these helps us understand our own lives as well, things we may not have understood until reading the right book. Some examples are “Where are you going, Where have you been?” by Joyce Carol Oates and “We Grow Accustomed to the Dark” by Emily Dickinson. These both have experiences that many can find themselves relating to. Stories help us make sense of …show more content…
Everyone in their life has grown or will be growing, and almost everyone has a family. With a family, comes hardship. People fight with their parents and siblings; it is something that cannot be avoided. In this story, things that are said to the main character are shown, “’Why don't you keep your room clean like your sister? How've you got your hair fixed—what the hell stinks? Hair spray. You don't see your sister using that junk.’” Being compared to one’s siblings is something that happens often in a family. Because this happens so often, one may assume this is normal behavior when it is not. Being compared to others, especially family, is something that hurts. Reading a story like this one where the main character views it negatively may help one understand that this is an unpleasant experience. Another example is how the main character copes with her family. She handles it in a very unhealthy manner, but it is treated lightheartedly, “...Connie's mother kept picking at her until Connie wished her mother was dead and she herself was dead and it was all over.” This is a serious topic she is thinking about, yet it is treated like any other thought. Many people go through this same thing. They will undermine the severity of their own thoughts and it is not taken seriously. One might relate to the main character here and how she copes with her family. This will help them understand their own experiences with their family and how it affected

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