<Dd> "' Now, these numbers are a secret code, honey,' Arnold Friend explained . He read off the numbers 33, 19, 17 and raised his eyebrows at her to see what she thought of that, but she didn't think much of it ." (p. 41) </Dd> <P> Literary scholars have interpreted this series of numbers as different Biblical references, as an underlining of Friend's sexual deviancy, or as a reference to the ages of Friend and his victims . </P> <P> The narrative has also been viewed as an allegory for initiation into sexual adulthood, an encounter with the devil, a critique of modern youth's obsession with sexual themes in popular music, or as a dream sequence . </P> <P> The story was loosely adapted into the 1985 film Smooth Talk, starring Laura Dern and Treat Williams . Oates has written an essay named "Smooth Talk: Short Story into Film" about the adaptation . </P>

Where are you going by joyce carol oates