Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been and How I Met My...

Fantasy to Reality Every young girl dreams about her wedding, thinks about finding her soul mate, hopes for that all-encompassing love that they see in movies. To have the kind of summer romance from The Notebook or feel the way Katy Perry describes in â€Å"Teenage Dream† is the fantasy that all young girls must eventually move past. Distinguishing between the fantasy and the reality of romance is an essential part of growing up and becoming an adult woman. Both of the short stories, â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have you Been?† by Joyce Carol Oates’, and â€Å"How I met my Husband† by Alice Munroe explore this theme. While Munroe’s exploration of this theme is a little subtler than Oates’, both authors use this topic throughout their writing to contribute to the overall meaning of their stories. In her short story â€Å"How I Met My Husband†, Alice Munroe takes the reader through Edie’s story. It starts with Edie being hired to help Mrs. P eebles with housework and her two kids, and ends with her married to the mailman with kids of her own. Edie is only 15 when the story takes place and she falls for the pilot who has recently come to work across the street giving rides for a dollar. When she first sees him at the door of the Peebleses’ house she reacts just like a teenage girl. Munroe writes, â€Å"My head was knocking away, my tongue was dried up. I had to say something. I had to say something, but I couldn’t. My throat was closed and I was like a deaf-and-dumb† (136). Munroe furtherShow MoreRelatedPersonal Narrative : Losing My Husband1195 Words   |  5 PagesLosing My Husband Have you ever been in love? If so I can relate. The first time I met my husband I felt it was love at first sight. I might him while I was serving in the Navy where I was stationed in Norfolk, VA. This is where we encountered one another. We were like any normal couple we would bicker here and there. But we also had great memories that we shared. Not for long As I thought things were too good to be true. My job was really stressful because I would always be leaving my husbandRead MoreThe New Tattoo1225 Words   |  5 Pages When I was a child my mother had a tattoo of a bird on her chest. One of my earliest memories is of tracing that tiny bird with my finger. It was a tiny grey line of a bird and tattooed underneath it were the words, Free Bird. When I was eleven she had it covered up with a different bird. I tried to talk her out of getting the new tattoo. In my eleven-year-old mind that tiny grey bird was a part of her in a way that new bird, drinking nectar from a flower, wasn’t. I still remember that tiny greyRead MoreBeckys New Car Reaction1562 Words   |  7 PagesBecky’s New Car Reaction Going to see Becky’s New Car was an eye opening experience, demonstrating how people are today. Becky’s New Car was a comedy and also a drama. I believe this play is very relatable because Becky shows how when people say, â€Å"I want a new car,† it really means that they are looking for a change in their life. In my essay, I explain my reaction to the play and try to explain what the play is saying about life, how it impacted my life, and whether the actors were suitable forRead MoreCase Study : Why We Chose A PPO1010 Words   |  5 PagesWhy We Chose a PPO My husband and I have tried a variety of plans throughout the years including HMOs, PPOs, and HDHPs. We have recently switched from a HDHP to a PPO. Yes, PPOs cost more, but our HDHP was costlier, and had a deductible of $6,000, with prescriptions adding an additional $2,500 deductible. With a family who has asthma and allergies, and other medical issues, having a HDHP was costlier by far. The deductible was so high, we would basically pay out of pocket for half the year or moreRead MoreSummary Of I Met My Friend Sally At Her House 1206 Words   |  5 PagesBackground Information: I met my friend â€Å"Sally† at her house. We were eating lunch at her dining table while I recorded her story about her experience with communism in East Germany. I chose my diversity topic with Sally because she was originally from East Germany and I have never spoken to anybody from there. Her family and she fled to West Germany on a refugee pass. Even though my husband is German, his family has always been from West Germany so their stories are very different than Sally’sRead MoreWhen I Met The Next Best Thing884 Words   |  4 Pages I was going through a rough period in my marriage and had started attending a local church with the hope that I d find peace in serving God. That s where I met the next best thing: Connie. Connie arrived on the scene when I needed her most and upon talking with her, I found out her husband was in the air force. Surprisingly, most of the church s congregation consisted of military families, many of them who lived on base. While I d had grandparents, my father, cousins and friendsRead MoreLove Letters to My Husband Essay1061 Words   |  5 PagesThe air was warm, the beams of sunlight shined on my skin, and the sweet laughter of my daughter came as she ran about. I could hear the bark of the neighbor’s dog in the distance, the scraping sound of a joggers sneakers on the gravel sidewalk and I could smell the sweet aroma of the ripening peaches coming from the tree in our backyard. It was a brilliant summer day just like any other. My husband, Matthew, pulled in. Our daughter ran to him as he walked up the drive, â€Å"Daddy, Daddy,† she shoutedRead MoreMy Experience On My Life1202 Words   |  5 PagesAll I could think of sitting at my desk at work was about the conversation me and my husband had the night before. I sat there staring at my computer screen wondering if it was the right thing to do, or was I just wasting my time on a hope long forgotten. The hours slowly ticked by, an d everything I was working on with my customers and their loans were a blur. I couldn’t get that thought out of my head. It was eating away at me. This is something that I have wanted for a long time. I put it on holdRead MoreThe narrator is told by his wife that she is having her blind friend come spend a night at their1400 Words   |  6 Pageswife where she met him and to talk more about. She explains that she worked for him, she read to him. When the blind man pulls up, the narrator is already being judgmental and prejudiced towards the blind man. He does not even the slightest open mind about meeting this man that his wife has such a good relationship with. In the story Cathedral, Raymond Carver uses metaphoric symbols, an object title, and a dialect style to get across the message that you cannot judge someone you have never met andRead MorePersonal Narrative : Stay Out Of The Basement889 Words   |  4 Pagesalways been a dream of mine to sit down and get to know R.L . Stine (Robert Lawrence) better. When I was a child; even now as an adult I enjoy his movies. One of my favorites is Goosebumps: Stay out Of the Basement. Do not get me wrong all of his movies are good; but for some reason I was interested in Goosebumps: Stay out Of the Basement. If my dream came true; I would start by finding out his life story. I believe that is the conversation I want to have with a great writer like R.L. Stine. I want