Analysis Of Where Are You Going Where Have You Been

In the midst of a heartbreak, crisis, celebration, or milestone, we use music to help express the emotions that we feel or may have felt during that time. Music allows for us to escape our reality, though only for a moment in time. It has an adverse reaction on our emotions. Music can trigger feelings regarding a past experience, a loved one, etc. Music is universal. Regardless of the lyrics, tone, or time period of the song music is an incredibly powerful work of art deeply connected with human emotions. Joyce Carol Oates uses pop music as a symbol and motif throughout her short story “Where are you going, Where have you been?” In her short story, Joyce Carol Oates' music references illustrate Connie's life and journey throughout the story.

Music is personified in “Where are you going, Where have you been?” Connie, the main character, is a fifteen year old girl that is obsessed with herself and music. The first mention of music in “Where are you going, Where have you been?” is near the beginning of the story. Connie and her girlfriends often hung out in shopping plazas and drive-in restaurants with older teenagers. The narrator states, they “listened to the music that made everything so good: the music was always in the background, like music at a church service; it was something to depend upon” (673). Here, music is almost omnipotent and omnipresent. For Connie and her friends, it was always there. It also seems to be something sacred for Connie and her friends. It is also very influential on Connie and her friend's mood. Music made “everything so good” for them. Music makes everything better. Connie complains about her mother, sister, and home life. She turns to music as a way to escape her reality. She's both bratty, insec...

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.... Oddly enough, Connie's eyes are brown—not blue.

Music adds tension to the story “Where are you going, Where have you been?” It's powerful in the way that it influences Connie. Music creates tension between Connie's sense of reality and fantasy. She daydreams about boys based upon love songs, not her actual experiences with them. In fact, the encounters that she had with boys proved to be much less appealing than the romance she has seen on television, radio, films, etc. Music is also powerful for Friend. He uses it as a tool to seduce, control, and entice her. The power of music is overarching and has the power to influence us all. It has the ability to shape our understanding and help us communicate. Joyce Carol Oates' “Where are you going, Where have you been?” effectively demonstrates this concept as she shows music's impact on popular culture and adolescents.