They All Just Went Away

 The essay They All Just Went Away was written by Joyce Carol Oates. She has published over 40 novels, as well as plays, short stories, and poetry. She has won the National Book Award, National Humanities Medal, and many of her books were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Her essay, published in 1995, recalls her childhood, when she used to explore abandoned houses. She focused mainly on a house that was behind hers, that belonged to the Weidel family. Before the house was abandoned, it was occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Weidel as well as their six children. Mr. Weidel was a drunk who abused both his wife and his children, as well as sexually abused his two daughters. Mrs. Weidel was often seen with a black eye, and loud arguing was heard from outside the walls of their eerie house. After years of these obscenities, Mr. Weidel lost it and set his house on fire. Young Joyce took a particular interest in their family. For it was very different than hers. Their family was close-knit, and her father would never imagine of laying a hand on her. The author's purpose of this essay was to teach readers about broken homes, and to argue that not every house holds a home. The essay has a large range of audiences, for the haunting essay could have an effect on just about anyone. The advanced vocabulary suggests the intent for an older audience, no one younger than young adults. The most important rhetorical decive included by Oates was Pathos. She wrote, "Tales of Mr. Weidle's chasing his wife with a butcher knife, a claw hammer, the shotgun, threatening to 'blow her head off.' Mrs. Weidel and the younger children fled outdoors in terror and hid in the hayloft" (Oates 557). The pathos helped show the audience the horror that the Weidel family faced. It was clear how scary it would be to live in that house. This helped the author accomplish her purpose, for it was evident that a family like the Weidel's did not make a house a home. After the fire burned down the house, no one tried to fix it, and no one tried to move back in. All of the family members got split up; Mr. Weidel in jail, the kids in foster homes, Mrs. Weidel unheard from, etc. Therefore, it was easy to understand, that just because a family lives under the same roof, does not mean they have a home.

A picture of a burned down house, like what the Weidel's house looked like after the fire. Source: drmstream.com