Have you read the short story “Where are you going where have you been,” by Joyce Carol Oates?

Once again, I was gripped by terror as I read that story. You know you’re reading something well written when it makes you want to shout out, “NO, Connie, don’t listen to him! Go get the phone!” Thank you for these recommendations. I love short stories, and both of these were excellent.

You are right, the story does have a slow warming up. If it had not been for the precocious children and their disrespect I probably would have lost interest as well. There was something about the way the mother was described in her dress that made me feel that she was exhausted and had numbed herself in order to deal with her lot. A demanding uncaring husband and an interfering mother in law. The little girl and boy were horrid. I would have been popped in the mouth for saying anything similar to my grandmother.

It does get terrifying and is very hard to read once the Misfit arrives. I have read a lot of criticism saying this follows a Christian allegory. Some arguing the grandmother is Jesus and the other saying the Misfit is Jesus.

The Misfit is unredeemable when he says all crimes garner the same punishment. With that line of thought who can be deterred?

Oh my gawd, then one of them wears Bailey’s shirt!

Have you read the short story “Where are you going where have you been,” by Joyce Carol Oates?

What do you think of the grandmother?

Initially I felt sorry for the Grandmother. No one in her family respected or embraced her. The way the kids were allowed to treat her was deplorable. Overall the characterization of a browbeaten woman. The way she was hoping she was injured because then her son wouldn’t be able to yell at her as much…

The moment the criminal came into the story, I started feeling uneasy. By the time the husband and son were taken into the woods, I was grippingly terrified.

I noticed the way O’Connor portrayed The Misfit as someone who disregarded the depth of his complicity in his own behavior and enjoyed being cruel. Also the way she portrayed the Grandmother’s naivety in the face of someone so unreasonable - someone who could not be appealed to - someone whose psychology, motives, and lifestyle she had no concept of. This tied nicely into the center section of the story where Red Sammy and the Grandmother were romanticizing the old days. There was a general feeling that this is how much of the world approaches people like this, kind of vainly hoping that there’s something about them they can connect to, something about them that mirrors their own sense of right and wrong.

Oh, and I was jarred by the racism in the story yet felt it was very realistically written.

These is so much that could be discussed in that story.

It reminds me of Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find.”

I had started reading this story once before and didn’t give it enough of a chance, initially stopping after the first few paragraphs. After seeing your comment, I read it. Wow - am I glad I did.

I was really sad to hear Mary Winkler making excuses for her husband’s behavior, but I know it will be many years before she can really see the extent of his abuse. I say fuck him. And you are right about his parents. Matthew Winkler did not learn his techniques all on his own.