Today is the birthday of the prolific contemporary writer Joyce Carol Oates, born June 16, 1938, whose works include novels, short-story collections, plays, children’s books, criticism, essays, and poetry collections. Of her work Oates states, “Writing and teaching have always been, for me, so richly rewarding that I don’t think of them as work in the usual sense of the word.”
In her short story, “Journey,” which appears in Mirrors & Windows, Level IV, Oates talks directly to the reader about the paths we take in life and the choices we make on our way to individuality. She shows that rarely do we follow a straight path to our future goals. Instead, life offers us many opportunities to take detours and make changes. The choices we make along the way are part of life's journey.
"If you had that day to begin again,
on that highway which was so wide and clear,
you would not have varied your journey in any way:
in this is your triumph."
--Joyce Carol Oates
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