How the Open-Ended Stories Make Readers Think Twice

How the Open-Ended Stories Make Readers Think Twice
The traditional flow of a story is for it to have a beginning, middle and end. When a story is finished, the conflict should be resolved and the reader satisfied that the tension of the plot has been diffused. However, sometimes writers go against the traditional expectations of the reader in order to provoke them. Instead of providing the reader with a story with rising and falling conflict, the authors push the story to the brink and then leave the reader hanging over a precipice. This is called a cliffhanger device—and usually it is followed upon by a sequel that resolves the issues left unaddressed. However, Joyce Carol Oates who wrote“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” and Flannery O’Connor who wrote “Everything That Rises Must Converge” finished their stories not clarifying the conflicts and providing no sequels. Instead, these authors use the open-ended story to compel their readers to think about the underlying messages of the narratives and the irony in which the stories deliver (by not delivering) the expected conclusion.
In “Everything That Rises Must Converge” by O’Connor, the conflict between Julian and Julian’s mom is the main plot. Readers could assume that their conflict becomes the main conflict when Julian thinks his mom’s hat is hideous and when Julian doesn’t want to escort her to health class. The arguing that begins when they are finally on their way shows readers they have different views on African-American rights. Julian’s mom insists, “They should rise, yes, but on their own side of the fence” (Connor). The plot progresses as Julian keeps attempting to demonstrate to his mom that she is wrong, but she never listens to him. However, readers notice that Julian is also racist since Julian exploits the African-American man on the bus as a tool to signal his own virtue and show himself superior to his mother. Although they have conflicts over racism due to the generation gap, he has not moved completely out of his racist way of thinking. Ultimately, the conflict is heightened when Julian’s mom tries giving a penny to a black child. Julian attempts to stop his mom, but she didn’t listen to him. Such an ignorant and racist behavior ends when the African-American child’s mom punches with her purse. Julian’s mom who represents racism falls, screaming black people’s names which used to work for her. This shows a person who lives in the past cannot move to the future. Julian’s mom’s face is distorted, and each of her eyes sees a different place without focusing on either as they she were being torn in two directions at once. Julian is left alone as his mother dies. He knows that she is suffering but cannot keep from continuing to lecture her. Only when he realizes that he is about to lose her does he stop with his lecture and become like a child again, hollering and running off for help. O’Connor leaves the reader wondering what these two characters tell us about ourselves and how we should deal with our own guilt and inner conflicts.
In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Oates, there are several conflicts between Connie and her family. Mom scolds Connie because she only cares about her appearance and she always compares Connie to her older sister, June. However, those issues are not the main plot and just to frame the central conflict. The main plot starts when Connie sees a creepy gut saying, “Gonna get you, baby” (Oates). Although she has never met the man, Arnold Friend, he visits her house and asks her to go for a drive together. He looks just like a young man at first, but all of him seems fake as she looks more and more at him. Since his age is unknown, and his whole face is a mask, Connie feels more and more uncomfortable in his presence. Therefore, she refuses to answer and go for a drive with him. However, he appears to know where Connie's family is, who Connie's neighbors are, and everything about Connie's life. Connie is increasingly terrified so she shouts she will report him to the police. Arnold says nothing will happen if she doesn't report it to the police. Connie is suddenly in a panic and feels as if Arnold keeps stabbing her. After the panic Connie begins to listen to everything Arnold says. Therefore, she steps out of the house and goes for a drive with Arnold, not even knowing where she is going. The author doesn't state who Arnold Friend is and where Connie is going. It depends on what perspective we choose—but there is a lot which is not stated that Oates expects the reader to examine and resolve by using these characters as a reflection of life and how they might in some way reflect something about the reader.
In other words, while readers cannot know what will become of Julian in “Everything That Rises Must Converge” just as they cannot know what will happen to Connie, these issues are actually beside the point. The authors’ use of the open-ended story is to facilitate reflection and introspection in the reader. The authors essentially say that these characters are supposed to get you to look inward: that is why they do not show you what happens to them outwardly—the aim is to look more deeply rather than to only give a superficial reading of events. “Everything That Rises Must Converge” addresses racism and the generation gap but it also raises questions about who we are individually. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” addresses what kind of situations women are in and how they are treated—but it also raises questions about who we are as people and why we think of ourselves so pridefully. Indeed, pride is a central theme in both stories and serves to support the underlying tension of each. Pride connects the characters to the reader and serves as the string that the authors play upon to get the reader to reflect on his own self.
Since both stories contain a meaningful, underlying theme (pride) that is surprisingly revealed beneath the main theme—whether it is racism, violence, or the generation gap, it is crucial for the reader to attempt to make his own interpretation—because the open-ended narrative would have it that way. The open-ended story is an invitation by the author for the reader to finish the story in one’s own life. The reader is the one who is meant to make a change: the characters and the plot are just there as a prompt. If the authors directly wrote the theme, such as, “Racism must stop,” “Violence against women needs to be solved,” readers would not be impressed because it would seem too obvious. However, by ending the story with the conflict not completely resolved, we face it one more time and can build our own arguments about the theme. Also, stories with an open ending can be interpreted in various ways depending on what part a reader felt most deeply. Readers can share their diverse interpretations to fill in parts that they might otherwise never have thought about before. Therefore, since “Where are You Going, Where Have You Been?” and “Everything That Rises Must Converge” end vaguely, readers are allowed to build their own interpretation and use the open-ending as a launching board for doing a little introspection.