A Good Man is Hard to Find and Where are you Going, Where Have you Been both use gothic elements in a way that makes the reader feel scared because what happens in the stories could happen in real life. In a good man, the family is taking a detour on the while on vacation and after a car accident run into an escaped convict, “the Misfit”. When the grandmother recognizes him and calls him out on his identity he knows that they cannot live because they might give up his location. It bothered me that the mother, father, and children went willingly to their deaths and didn’t try to fight it while the grandmother tried to say anything that might save her. In where are you going, Arnold Friend is every woman and parent’s worst nightmare, a smooth talking guy that could entrap you or your daughter. From the beginning you can see that there is something off about him but to Connie, like most teenage girls danger isn’t scary (at least initially) but fun. It is only after she realizes that this interaction isn’t the innocent flirting like it is at the drive-in but could end in her getting hurt. The part where she goes for the phone and is interrupted by the piercing sound in her ears you know that she’s in serious trouble. When the story ends and she leaves with Arnold, you know exactly what’s going to happen but it still makes you wonder, is there a chance that she’ll live? Both have a clear villain which adds to the gothic feel. Adding a face to some worldly evil makes it safer and scarier at the same time; in both cases you know what the evil is. Both are deeply psychological, in where are you going you the author almost makes it seem like Connie could be hallucinating from too much sun and heat and in a good man the author uses religion and intervention from a higher power to save the life of the grandmother, which ultimately doesn’t work. Both are also major fears that people have; the idea of not feeling safe in your own home, rape, and abduction in where are you going and convicts and murder in a good man.
I enjoyed reading a gothic story set in a more modern setting. Although, it didn't contain the classic gothic elements such as death and a castle or abbey, it did contain elements of the supernatural, and evoke chilling emotions. I think many girls can relate to Arnold Friend, and the smooth talker. Even though she knows there is something wrong with the guy, she still is intrigued and enjoys the attention.
ReplyDeleteI definitely enjoyed the psychological elements of these stories as well. They were not like your traditional gothics but they did have elements that caused heightened suspense. I know the fears of most people are also present in the novels as to frighten the reader as well.
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