This week in my English classes, I encourage my students to look deep into the characters of our reading. We’re discussing inner conflicts and external conflicts. Why or how do these characters make the choices? What motivates them to do what they do? I have introduced Joyce Carol Oates’s true-to-life, psycho-killer short story ”Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” My students don’t know Joyce, but they know Ted Bundy from Netflix. Many parts of Joyce’s antagonist here can be seen in Ted. Below, I model a character analysis for Connie, the protagonist in “Where Are You Going.” She’s got an attitude gets her into trouble. She crosses a line for where there is no going back…
You just might say the same thing for Bonnie in the movie Bonnie and Clyde.
(For easy reading, please CLICK on panels to enhance screen size.)