Joyce Carol Oates was born in 1938 in Lockport, New York and spent her childhood on her parents' farm there. The town provided a wholesome environment for her to grow up, despite economic struggles since the Great Depression. The story focuses on the 15-year-old protagonist Connie, who is rebelling against her family through risky behavior, but her fantasies of romance and independence are shattered by her frightening encounter with the dangerous stranger Arnold Friend.

2.  JOYCE CAROL OATES
 Born on June 16,
1938, in Lockport,
New York, Joyce Carol
Oates spent her
childhood on her
parents’ farm.
Lockport, a small
rural town, had
struggled
economically since
the Great Depression,
but it provided Oates
with a wholesome
environment in which
to grow up.

3. Connie - The fifteen-year-old protagonist of the story.
Connie is in the midst of an adolescent rebellion. She
argues with her mother and sister, June, and neglects
family life in favor of scoping out boys at the local
restaurant. She tries to appear older and wiser than
she is, and her head is filled with daydreams and
popular music that feed her ideas of romance and
love.
Arnold Friend - A dangerous figure who comes to
Connie’s house and threatens her.
Ellie - A friend of Arnold’s. When Arnold drives up to
Connie’s house, Ellie stays in the car, listening to
music and watching while Arnold talks menacingly to
Connie.

4.  June - Connie’s older sister. June is nearly the
opposite of Connie. Twenty-four years old,
overweight, and still living at home, she is a
placid, dutiful daughter. She obeys her parents
and does chores without complaining.
 Connie’s Mother - A near-constant source of
frustration for Connie. Connie and her mother
bicker constantly and disagree about almost
everything. Connie’s mother envies Connie’s
youth and beauty, which she herself has lost.

5. The Search for Independence
Connie’s conflicts with her family
and efforts to make herself
sexually attractive are part of
her search for independence. As
a teenager, she is dependent on
the adults in her life for care
and discipline as well as for
enabling her social life.

6. Fantasy versus Reality
Although Connie works hard to present the
appearance of being a mature woman who is
experienced with men, her encounter with Arnold
reveals that this is only a performance. She has
created an attractive adult persona through her
clothing, hairstyle, and general behavior and gets
the attention she desires from boys.

8.  Joseph Conrad
( December 1857 – 3 August 1924)
was a Polish author
who wrote in
English after
settling in England.
He was
granted British
Nationality in 1886,
but always
considered himself a
Pole.

9.  Kayerts
 Carlier
 Makola - clerk, assistant, bookkeeper of
Kayerts and Carlier (calls himself Henry Price)
 Gobila (father Gobila)
 Gobila's people
 Natives (involved in ivory deal)

11.  The story can also be read at a symbolic
level. It focuses on the colonial situation in
Africa towards the end of the nineteenth
century and challenges readers to examine
the ethical questions raised by the policy of
colonialism. From the very beginning it
becomes clear that the title Outpost of
Progress is ironic, for the two white men are
lazy and incompetent.

12.  The theme of incompetence,
destructiveness and cruelty of colonialism
is developed as a story of progresses. The
gradual physical and moral deterioration
of the two colonial administrators,
leading to their death, can be interpreted
as a reflection of the general state of
colonialism.