New Jersey
Joyce Carol Oates on a New Jersey Adventure
Your story “The Frenzy” describes a weekend trip to Cape May, New Jersey, taken by a married father in his forties and the nineteen-year-old woman he calls his “teen-aged mistress.” How did the story begin for you? Did the idea come first, the characters, or the setting?
“The Frenzy” has two sources. One is the spectacle of an astonishing “feeding frenzy” of hundreds of thousands or millions of fish of all sizes, which I must have seen decades ago from a boat in the Atlantic Ocean, like the one mentioned in the story; it made a lasting impression upon me, and makes me shudder even now.
The other source is the setting: suburban New Jersey, the Garden State Parkway, Barnegat Light, and beautiful historic Cape May in the off-season. The right backdrop for a man hoping to revivify his life in some way. Also, to a lesser extent, the gritty urban New York City landscape around Varick Street—a neighborhood of expensive lofts in buildings that, from the exterior, seem minimal, grim.
“The Frenzy” seems to me a very New Jersey story, an adventure of naïve hope, cynicism, humbling, and humiliation—an ending that is surprising to the male protagonist but perhaps also to the female character.
At times, the man, Cassidy, seems like a stereotypical philandering suburban husband—narcissistic, domineering, but convinced of his own good intentions. At others, there are undertones of malevolence, potential violence. Is Cassidy banally self-aggrandizing, or is he something worse? Or do you want to keep the reader unsure?
Cassidy would appear to be a man yearning for an experience that gives meaning to his life, which seems to have atrophied, lost its significance. He has an unexplored capacity for brutality, which he is on the brink of revealing—but doesn’t, quite. Cape May is a place out of time, in a sense, ahistoric, a kind of alternate moral universe, where, if he wishes, he could punish Brianna at will—or so he thinks. At the same time, he is a middle-aged man fearful of throwing out his back. He hates seeing Brianna on her cellphone because he knows that she is texting a friend circle of people her own age, sending them pictures, messages, of a kind that she would never send him.
Brianna does initially pursue Cassidy, and although she seems willing to take or leave the affair, she is the one who calls Cassidy and asks to go on a drive. What do you think she is looking for with him? A replacement for the parents she’s fallen out with? Someone who can, literally, take her places—an entertaining diversion from friends her own age? Does she see him as someone she can control, thanks to his attraction to her?
It is not my understanding that people always behave with clear motives. Brianna is an impulsive person; she acts without thinking of consequences. She leaves Cassidy precipitously, surprising him by being so decisive. But, in fact, she is behaving instinctively, to save herself, leaving in the way she left her friend in his apartment on the Lower East Side. The same way she will leave others in the future. In a way, Brianna basks in her own being, behaving as she does simply because she can—which is possibly typical of some young women of her generation. They are not children any longer but they behave in childish ways.
The standard narrative in relationships like this is that the older man has the wealth and power and calls the shots, and the younger woman enters into the affair willingfully but innocently and is damaged in some way by it. This story follows that trajectory up to a point, and then flips it. Did you know from the start that that would happen?
Yes, the destination was always the unflattering, deflating voice at the door saying, “Housekeeping”—suggesting a perfunctory sort of cleanup of a mess made by people like Cassidy and Brianna. The romantic/erotic adventure has ended, and now a maid appears. But Cassidy, the seemingly dominant male, is naked, exposed. Whatever happens to him, he deserves.
How do you feel about the ongoing debate about characters’ “likability”? Do they need to be likable in order to keep the reader interested in—and empathizing with—them?
It would never occur to me to measure fictional characters by their “likability”—that seems very limited, trite. I never read prose fiction expecting to “like”—or “dislike”—characters but, rather, to be surprised, moved to emotion of some kind, by a story that is unusual in some way. Does one “like” or “dislike” Macbeth, Raskolnikov, Captain Ahab, among countless others? Literature is a texture of words evoking life in the most vivid ways—psychologically, physically.
I am most powerfully drawn to places, settings. I want to see, hear, smell, “feel” the atmosphere of a place. The Jersey Shore in the off-season is one such place. The misfired adventure of “The Frenzy” is exactly appropriate to the off-season at the Jersey Shore. It is neither “likable” nor “unlikable.” Like a feeding frenzy, it just is. ♦
Yellowcard played the Stone Pony Summer Stage on Friday June 12th. It was an astounding set. The band performed nineteen tracks from every era and iteration of the band. It was a special night for anyone who is a fan.
Openers Plain White T’s and New Found Glory also deserve special credit for fitting the bill flawlessly. It was the perfect way to set the stage for the show to come. Both bands have a strong stage presence and were able to captures the crowd’s full attention.
Yellowcard opened with a video of the Paramount stars. They continued their set by playing interlude snippets of other major movies such as “Back To The Future,” “Top Gun,” “The Goonies,” and the “Ghostbusters.” It really felt like we were watching a cinematic experience as well as a concert. The production was second to none. There was even pyro during certain moments of the show.
The band played six tracks off their new album Better Days. This was a huge highlight of the show. Better Days is not only the best Yellowcard album since Ocean Avenue, it’s one of the best pop-punk releases of the decade. The band worked tightly with Travis Barker, Avril Lavigne, and Alkaline Trio to enhance all aspects of the genre. The new tracks warranted even more of a reception than older tracks. We were truly watching a band in their prime.
Overall, Yellowcard are showing us the new heights bands can reach within the pop-punk genre. Their breakup and triumphant return displays to us that anything is possible. Please enjoy our gallery below from photographer Anthony Vito Cosentino.
Plain White T’s
New Found Glory
Yellowcard
All Photos by Anthony Vito Cosentino
From Camden and Cherry Hill to Trenton and the Jersey Shore, what about life in New Jersey do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know.
The borough of Lawnside in Camden County will be honored with a historical marker from the New Jersey Historical Commission as part of the state’s Black Heritage Trail.
A ceremony unveiling the marker will take place at 10 a.m. Friday at Lawnside Borough Hall on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Road.
Marsharee Wright, aide to Lawnside Mayor Mary Ann Wardlow and long-time resident, said everyone is thrilled about the marker unveiling.
“We’ve invited the entire community and neighboring towns to come share the celebration with us,” Wright said.
Linda Shockley, president of the Lawnside Historical Society, said it’s “an extreme honor” for the borough to be included in the state’s program, especially as Lawnside is amid a year-long celebration of its centennial.
“It really lifts our profile and hopefully more people will understand and know what Lawnside is about and what it means in the nation,” Shockley said.
Lawnside was one of six sites selected in Camden County in 2024, including “The Point,” a historic Black neighborhood in Haddonfield. Its marker was unveiled last June.
During the ceremony, the borough’s history will be showcased, along with the original documents signed by Gov. A. Harry Moore in 1926, which made way for the borough’s creation.
Though there are many Black enclaves in South Jersey, the borough is the state’s only incorporated antebellum Black community. First known as Free Haven, and later Snow Hill, it was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Peter Mott built a three-floor dwelling in 1844 that was once part of sprawling farmland where he helped slaves escape.
Mott’s house, now owned by the Lawnside Historical Society, serves as an Underground Railroad museum.
See the Roxbury warehouse scouted by ICE as possible deportation site
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were in Roxbury recently apparently scouting a Rt. 46 warehouse as a possible migrant deportation facility.
Federal officials are considering abandoning plans for a controversial immigration detention facility in Roxbury, New Jersey, according to a June 18 report by The New York Times, prompting local leaders and state officials to declare a victory after months of legal and political opposition.
The proposed facility, a warehouse property purchased to serve as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, faced intense criticism from local residents, environmental advocates and elected officials who argued the site was unsuitable for housing detainees.
In a joint statement issued Thursday, Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said the Department of Homeland Security appeared to be backing away from the project following legal challenges that halted development.
“Today the New York Times is reporting that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is backing down on its mass detention center in Roxbury,” the statement said. “That is a big win for public safety, for the township of Roxbury, and for New Jersey.”
According to the Times report, the Roxbury facility is one of seven ICE is planning to dispense with by transferring ownership to other federal agencies or selling them.
Opponents argued the warehouse was designed as a logistics facility and lacked the infrastructure necessary to support a large detention center. They also raised concerns about the potential strain on local water and sewage systems and the impact on environmentally sensitive land surrounding the site.
State officials said they joined Roxbury Township in court to challenge the project, contending that federal plans violated local regulations and posed risks to the community.
“DHS’s plans were always illegal,” the statement said. “The Roxbury warehouse is a logistics center fit for packages, not thousands of people.”
Rep. Rob Menendez said in a statement on Thursday: “We are working to confirm reporting that ICE is abandoning its Roxbury warehouse plans, but if true, this would be big news. From day one, we have fought to stop this facility, bringing together thousands of New Jerseyans in opposition. Now we are on the cusp of an important win for our state.”
The detention center was expected to become part of the federal government’s broader immigration enforcement and detention network. However, the project became a flashpoint in New Jersey, drawing opposition from both local officials and residents concerned about public safety, environmental impacts and the facility’s compatibility with surrounding land uses.
Federal officials have not publicly confirmed whether the property will be sold or formally removed from consideration. The Department of Homeland Security has not commented on the reported change in plans.
Opponents vowed to continue monitoring the situation until the project is officially terminated.
“This isn’t a partisan issue,” the statement said. “We’re grateful for our partnership with the Roxbury community as we keep DHS’s feet to the fire to ensure this facility is never opened.”
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