“Where Is Here?” by Joyce Carol Oates is an intriguing tale about an uninvited visitor who appears suddenly at the door of a couple and requests to take a look around their house, claiming he himself lived there once as a child. The short story was first published in The New Yorker in 1992 and later included in Oates’ collection of short stories titled “Where Is Here?” in 1992.
Joyce Carol Oates, an American author born on June 16, 1938, in Lockport, New York, has gained recognition for her prolific and diverse literary career. She has authored numerous novels, short stories, and essays, showcasing her versatility across various styles and genres. Oates has also written under the pen names Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly. One of her notable strengths lies in her ability to effectively depict the themes of violence and evil prevalent in modern society.
Where is Here? | Summary
The story is set on one November evening when a stranger appears at a family’s doorstep, claiming to have lived in their house as a child. The father invites him inside, but the stranger chooses to explore the property instead. While the stranger wanders outside, the mother prepares the dining room table, and the father watches from the window. The mother expresses her unease and suggests that the father accompany the stranger. However, the father believes the stranger prefers to be alone. As they observe the stranger’s movements, the parents discuss their concerns about his intentions speculate about the stranger’s unknown identity, and express fears about the potential dangers. The two continue to observe the stranger, who heads to the backyard and near the old swings: they are curious if he remembers them from his own childhood.
After having observed him from a distance, the mother invites him inside the house. As they enter each room, the stranger becomes increasingly nostalgic and overwhelmed by memories. In the kitchen, he notices the changes and recalls his mother’s presence. Moving from room to room, he asks questions about the children and shares that he has a sister as well. In the living room, the stranger’s reaction turns more somber, as he whispers in surprise and remembers specific details that aren’t familiar to the current occupants. He sits in the window seat, reminiscing about the happiness he found there and the moments shared with his mother. The parents exchange glances, silently expressing their confusion about the stranger’s prolonged presence. The stranger continues to recall moments from his past, mentioning riddles and existential questions, including “Why are we here?” and “Where is here?”
The mother tries to engage in polite conversation. The father, however, reacts with rudeness, expressing his disdain for riddles. The mother then asks about the stranger’s mother, to which he responds “We’ve all been dead-they’ve all been dead-a long time.” This revelation unsettles the atmosphere, but the stranger persists in his determination to explore the upstairs rooms. Both the father and mother are unsure of how to dissuade him and reluctantly follow him upstairs. On the landing, the stranger becomes excited by a stained-glass fanlight, reminiscing about his past experiences of looking through it. When they arrive at the son’s room, coincidentally the stranger’s old room, the stranger displays a strong desire to see it.
The stranger continues to explore the son’s room, touching objects and expressing his fascination with the space. The father and mother attempt to politely signal the end of the visit, mentioning the late hour. However, the stranger notices the boy at his study and offers to show him a mathematical riddle involving infinite triangles fitting inside a square. The father eventually interrupts, ending the demonstration and signaling the end of the visit. As the stranger prepares to leave, he unexpectedly requests to see the basement and sit on the stairs in the dark. The father reacts with anger, pushing the mother away and dismissing her objections. The mother retreats to the kitchen, feeling shaken and physically affected. In the dimly lit kitchen, she expresses her frustration to the father, emphasizing that she wasn’t the one who invited the stranger into their home.
Where is Here? | Analysis
In the story’s introduction, Joyce Carol Oates introduces a family living in a peaceful neighborhood; their lives have stayed undisturbed for an unspecified period. However, on a gloomy November evening, a stranger arrives claiming to have lived in their house as a child. The family’s response is atypical, as the father invites the stranger inside, setting a tone of uncertainty and discomfort for both the reader and the family. The stranger declines the invitation, choosing instead to explore the surroundings outside. The wife, uneasy, urges her husband to accompany the stranger, while he keeps a watchful eye on the outsider, who exhibits a slight limp and raises concerns about his true identity and intentions.
Interestingly, Oates deviates from conventional dialogue formatting by having multiple characters speak within the same paragraph. This departure from the norm could serve to blur the distinctions between the characters, creating an ambiguous sense of identity. Oates may aim to evoke questions in the reader’s mind regarding the reality of the characters or even hint at the possibility that they are all ghosts.
Oates suggests the presence of ghosts during a conversation between the stranger and the mother. When inquiring about the stranger’s own mother, the mother asks if she is still alive, to which he responds:
“Oh, no, not at all… We’ve all been dead–they’ve all been dead–a long time.”
The contraction “we’ve” implies the possible interpretation that the visitor is a ghost, a notion supported by the description of his handshake as “cool and damp and tentative.” This touch raises the question of whether the stranger is a non-corporeal entity rather than someone who has been out on the November evening.
There is little doubt that the visitor did spend part of his childhood in the house, evidenced by his meticulous recollection of even the smallest details in each room. He comments on the changes in the modernized kitchen, noting the difference in window sizes that may have appeared larger to him as a child but has now seemingly diminished in his adult eyes. Yet, in a gothic fashion, Oates juxtaposes the stranger’s nostalgic reflections with an underlying sense of dread and hints of an unhappy past.
The presence of the stranger’s childhood memories, including his mother and sister, coinciding with the current family’s composition of two children (a thirteen-year-old girl and an eleven-year-old boy) appears far from coincidental.
The stranger describes the mother’s kitchen as pleasant but contrasts it with the controlled environment of his own mother’s kitchen (“Mother too had plants on this window sill but I don`t recall them ever blooming”), which may have been a place of abuse or neglect evident in his manner when visiting the kitchen space:
“As he spoke his eyes darted about the kitchen almost like eyes out of control. He stood in an odd stiff posture, hands gripping the lapels of his suit as if he meant to crush them.”
The stranger reminisces about the window seat, which was one of his “happy places” when his father was absent, one at which he used to “hide away here for hours, reading, daydreaming, staring out the window!” He also reveals that he and his mother would plot together in that spot. These recollections imply a troubling dynamic within the family, with a domineering father and potentially abusive relationships.
A similar response is elicited with the mention of the master bedroom:
“Other rooms on the second floor, the “master” bedroom in particular, he decidedly did not want to see. Speaking of it, his mouth twitched as if he had been offered something repulsive to eat.”
The stranger’s avoidance of the “master” bedroom, with the word master in quotation marks, suggests not only an oppressive father but also an abusive husband.
His peculiar reaction and gaze toward the door leading to the basement further suggest possible traumatic experiences, such as being locked in the basement as punishment or encountering a fateful accident that resulted in his limp.
This hint of a possible traumatic past might also be backed by the argument that although the stranger talks about his mother and sister in a loving albeit melancholic tone, he mentions his father only in a curt and indirect manner:
“My father was a unique man. Everyone who knew him admired him. He sat here.”
The choice of describing his father with the word “unique”, and commenting that only “everyone” admired him hints that the stranger himself, as his son, did not share a similar opinion about the man.
Likewise, the reader is prompted to question whether a similar situation exists within the current family residing in the house. While the parents outwardly display affection towards each other and their children, appearances can be deceiving, and true selves may be concealed. As the story progresses, the thin veneer of civility begins to crack as the husband and wife blame each other for inviting the stranger into their home and allowing him unrestricted access to explore every room. They silently criticize themselves (and perhaps each other) for not urging him to leave before he proceeds upstairs. The description emphasizes their helplessness as if an initially benign force of nature has become uncontrollable, sweeping into the house.
One may also back this argument up with how Oates chooses to end the story. The ending seems abrupt – the very last dialogue on the part of the stranger, a “final preposterous appeal”: “Just to sit on the stairs? In the dark!”, possibly addressed to the father, is left unanswered. It is hinted that the mother tries to interrupt or pacify the father, who thrusts her aside. The nonchalance and submission with which the mother grasps this physical scuffle, especially evident in the line “In fact, a bruise the size of a pear would have materialized on her forearm by morning,” suggests that both violent outbursts and bruises are not new to her. Another interesting point to be noted is that the stranger seemed to be the same age as the father in the story, suggesting another juxtaposition over time, memory, and space.
It is also conceivable that the owners of the house are the ghosts of the stranger’s parents, and he has returned as the adult spirit of his former self to fulfill a specific purpose within his childhood home. This adds an element of mystery and a deeper layer of exploration into the story’s themes.
Oates subtly hints at underlying tensions and fractures within both families, drawing attention to the complex dynamics of relationships and the facades people maintain. The stranger’s memories and the reactions of the current family members serve as indications of deeper issues, adding layers of complexity to the narrative.
Where is Here? | Themes
Domestic violence has been carefully explored by Oates in the short story. By highlighting the domestic and power dynamics of both the households: the stranger’s and the present family’s, by putting forth in both an abusive male domineering force affects a powerful critique of oppressive patriarchal structures within the story. Domestic abuse is also hinted at, juxtaposed with memory and trauma, portraying a vivid picture of how time affects a history of abuse.
Obsession with loss and inability to move forth from one’s past (also in the context of a traumatic childhood) has also been explored. The stranger seems to be unable to separate himself from the house, much like a ghost trapped in its place of death. The house becomes the gothic center setting of the stranger’s existence.
Where is Here? | The Characters
The main character in the story is the father: it is he who answers the doorbell and invites the stranger into their house. Initially, he is reserved by nature but tries to be accommodating and friendly. As the story progresses, he becomes increasingly uneasy and impatient with the stranger’s presence.
The wife of the father (or ‘the mother’) assists in setting the dining table and follows the stranger around the house. She initially expresses concern about the stranger’s intentions but later seems to become more sympathetic toward him. She experiences physical and emotional distress as the visit unfolds.
The man (referred to throughout as ‘the stranger’) who arrives at the house unannounced, claims to have lived there as a child. He becomes nostalgic and fascinated by the house, particularly the rooms and objects that trigger memories from his past. His behavior and comments are enigmatic and unsettling, causing discomfort to the homeowners.
Where is Here? | Literary Devices
The story employs foreshadowing and setting to create a sense of anticipation and unease. The arrival of the stranger and the way he is described hint at something mysterious, unsettling, and ghostly. Oates uses gothic imagery to paint a detailed picture of the setting and the characters’ actions. Descriptions of the house, the rooms, and the stranger’s movements help create a visual and sensory experience for the reader. Symbolism is employed to convey deeper meanings in the context of the setting. The house itself becomes a symbol of the past, memory, and the hidden secrets that lie within. Objects such as the window seat, swings, stained-glass fanlight, and the basement door carry symbolic significance, representing the stranger’s connection to his childhood and the emotional weight of the past.
