Waiting by Joyce Carol Oates
"Waiting" by Joyce Carol Oates explores themes of miscommunication, emotional isolation, and the complexities of personal relationships. The story centers on Katherine Alexander, whose life has been shaped by familial obligations and disappointments. As she navigates her career in social work, Katherine grapples with the legacy of her difficult upbringing, her strained relationship with her mother, and her unfulfilled romantic aspirations. The narrative juxtaposes her internal struggles with her interactions with Bob Mott, a man burdened by his own failures.
Their connection is marked by a series of misunderstandings, revealing Katherine's discomfort with her own identity and societal expectations. The story culminates in a moment of violent confrontation, where Mott exposes Katherine's vulnerabilities, leading to a profound emotional reckoning for her. Oates illustrates how waiting—whether for love, acceptance, or change—can lead to disillusionment and despair. This poignant narrative invites readers to reflect on the nuances of human connection and the impact of one’s past on present circumstances.
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Waiting by Joyce Carol Oates
First published: 1974
Type of plot: Psychological
Time of work: The 1960's
Locale: The United States
Principal Characters:
Katherine Alexander , an unmarried woman in her thirties who works in a welfare officeHer mother Bob Mott , who is in his late forties, married, and on welfare
The Story
As the story begins, the reader is caught in the middle of miscommunication. Bob Mott is trying to explain to Katherine Alexander why he has lost his job. She is distracted; he is embarrassed. She is suspicious, slightly disgusted by Mr. Mott. The narrator abruptly shifts attention to Katherine's life story. She has grown up barely admiring her retired father, frightened of becoming her struggling, unattractive mother. Her older sisters have married; her older brother, returned from the navy, works in a parts factory. Katherine supports her mother, yet she has saved enough to earn a degree from the university in the School of Social Work.
In her senior year, Katherine meets a young man who is studying to become a dentist. Although at first he is "on the rebound" from a love affair, he eventually falls in love with Katherine. As they begin to plan for marriage, Katherine's mother becomes ill. The consequent gall bladder operation is "a vast and complicated affair" that interrupts the young couple's plans. Katherine begins her social work; the young man strains over his studies; the mother becomes nervous for her daughter. Impatient after months, then years, of delay, the young man ends their relationship. Katherine is devastated—mostly by his "weakness."
After this happens, at age twenty-six, it seems that Katherine grows closer to her mother—sharing a loneliness. Her energies are devoted almost exclusively to work. She becomes expert at distinguishing the truth from lies. She also distances herself emotionally from the suffering that she sees; her idealism descends into cool distrust. She feels uncomfortable "with those certain women." At one point she takes an unhealthy pleasure in humiliating a prostitute; her victim, enraged, lashes back, calling her an "ugly bitch." It is then that she meets Mr. Mott.
The narration returns to the moment at the beginning of the story: Mr. Mott tries to explain himself; Katherine, disturbed by the prostitute's curse, cannot understand his problem. Mr. Mott makes himself clear—he has lost his job and plans to abandon his pregnant wife.
The narrator, once again, shifts back into Katherine's private life. Her mother sickens and dies, leaving "everything" to Katherine. Out of a sense of loyalty to the memory of her proud, bigoted, mother, she refuses to sell the family house to "colored." She gives herself completely to her job. By choice, she distances herself utterly from the people she had once hoped to help. She no longer meets the "candidates," but, shut off in her own office, she judges them. Her social life is bleak—meeting "awkward, polite bachelors" who quickly disappear from her life.
In a chance meeting, Mr. Mott reenters her life. Cheerful, newly employed, he offers her a ride home in his new car. Katherine, nervous, clutching her purse, is uncertain of herself and embarrassed by him, but she accepts. As they approach her mother's house, she is ashamed, defensive, maintaining that she keeps the house out of respect for her dead mother. She invites him in to "chat." She is repulsed by his manners, his language; her glances judge his every action.
With cruel abruptness, Mr. Mott turns on Katherine. He humiliates her for earning so little, for living in a neighborhood that is mostly black, for her sentimental attachment to "mommy," for her condescending demeanor in the welfare office. He tells her that he witnessed the incident with the prostitute who had cursed her; he himself calls her an "ugly dog-faced bitch." He confesses that he has been waiting for six years to "get" her. He strikes her several times. As she begins to weep, the entire tragic emptiness of her life descends on her—but she cannot understand it.
Bibliography
Bender, Eileen Teper. Joyce Carol Oates: Artist in Residence. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987.
Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical Views: Joyce Carol Oates. New York: Chelsea House, 1987.
Cologne-Brookes, Gavin. Dark Eyes on America: The Novels of Joyce Carol Oates. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2005.
Creighton, Joanne V. Joyce Carol Oates: Novels of the Middle Years. New York: Twayne, 1992.
Daly, Brenda O. Lavish Self-Divisions: The Novels of Joyce Carol Oates. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1996.
Johnson, Greg. Invisible Writer: A Biography of Joyce Carol Oates. New York: Dutton, 1998.
Johnson, Greg. Understanding Joyce Carol Oates. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1987.
Wagner-Martin, Linda, ed. Critical Essays on Joyce Carol Oates. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1979.