“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, a short story by Joyce Oates, is about a teenager named Connie. In this story Connie is a typical rambunctious and rebellious teenager, whose risky activities lead her into trouble. The most important theme in this story is actually one of Connie’s bad habits, which is her inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality. Throughout the story it is mentioned several times that Connie derives her ideas about boys from the music she listens to. The preconceived notions Connie has about romance, have caused her to surround herself with a fantasy world from which she cannot escape. In this fantasy world Connie portrays herself as an adult, whose desire is able to draw the attention of all boys
around her. But back in the realm of reality the truth is that Connie is not ready to face the harsh reality of adulthood and adult sexuality. A reality check that changes the way she views the world is forced onto Connie by Arnold Friend. At first Connie is confused by Arnold because he really doesn’t belong in either of her worlds so her emotions towards him are split. In her fantasy world Connie desires for Arnold, but the danger that comes with him begins to open her eyes. As Connie becomes more frightened by Arnold, the veil between her fantasy world and her reality begins to lift. The veil is finally lifted thrusting Connie back into reality by the same thing that had originally lowered it there, music. Connie realizes that the music playing in Arnold’s car is the same music she had been listening to in her house, only then does Connie see Arnold’s true intentions. Not only does she finally realizes the danger in her current situation but she is also seeing what she’s become for the first time. Connie’s true self is brought to light and reveals that she’s not ready for adulthood or adult sexuality. This theme is the most important of the story because it shows that if one views the world through rose-colored glasses, then reality may not hit them until it’s too late. Connie, through music, tricks herself into believing that she ready for adulthood and that it’s a magical experience where no harm can become of her. It’s only when Connie meets Arnold that she comes back into reality and realizes she’s not ready to become an adult. Unfortunately Connie realizes this too late and is harshly forced into adulthood by Arnold.
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is told from the point of view of a girl with “long dark blond hair that drew anyone’s eye to it” named Connie. Connie was a very pretty fifteen year old girl, which loved to go out with her friends and meet new people. Laura’s, the best friend of Connie, father “drove the girls the three miles to town and left them at a shopping plaza so they could walk through the stores or go to a movie”. It became a lifestyle for Connie which eventually became a problem being that she met a suspicious
Though this story is very dark and painful to read, Connie's actions are realistic enough to connect some readers to the protagonist, thus helping the reader understand the story better. In the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”, through juxtaposition and imagery, Joyce Carol Oates makes us believe that Connie fits the character archetype of the typical teenage girl, and creates a connection between the character and the
The overuse of biblical allusions throughout the story helps to expose the naive nature of Connie that reveals her as a victim of evil which shows that lust often transgresses on an individual’s identity. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” Joyce Carol Oates expressed the subjective ideas by symbolizing Arnold Friend as a devil that tempts a clueless teenage girl Connie, who wanted to experience love.
The short story where are you going, where have you been is about a teenage girl who is, vain, self-doubting and affixed in the present. She does not know anything about the past or doubts it and has no plan of the future. She argues with her mother and she thinks she is jealous of her. The start of the plot is not very dramatic rather it is more like an introduction. We get a good description of the story’s Protagonist, Connie at the beginning of the story and through out. She is familiar, the typical American teenager, who dream, fantasize and have difficulty differentiating the real world from fairytale. Kozikowsky compares the story to the popular recent Disney tale “Cinderella” (1999). In “Where are you going, where have you been?” the setting of the story is not revealed at the beginning. The reader slowly learns about Connie’s family and her living condition throughout the story.
Each of us experiences transitions in our lives. Some of these changes are small, like moving from one school semester to the next. Other times these changes are major, like the transition between youth and adulthood. In Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", the author dramatizes a real life crime story to examine the decisive moment people face when at the crossroads between the illusions and innocence of youth and the uncertain future.
Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" is about a young girl's struggle to escape reality while defying authority and portraying herself as a beauty queen; ultimately, she is forced back to reality when confronted by a man who symbolizes her demise. The young girl, Connie, is hell- bent on not becoming like her mother or sister. She feels she is above them because she is prettier. She wants to live in a "dream world" where she listens to music all day and lives with Prince Charming. She does not encounter Prince Charming but is visited by someone, Arnold Friend, who embodies the soul of something evil. Arnold Friend symbolizes "Death" in that he is going to take Connie away from the world she once knew. Even if she is not dead, she will never be the same person again, and will be dead in spirit. With the incorporation of irony, Oates illustrates how Connie's self-infatuation, her sole reason for living, is the reason she is faced with such a terrible situation possibly ending her life.
Connie has the need to be viewed as older and as more mature than she really is, all the while still displaying childlike behavior. She shows this childlike behavior by “craning her neck to glance in mirrors [and] checking other people’s faces to make sure her own was all right” (Oates 323). This shows that Connie is very insecure and needs other people’s approval. Although on one side she is very childish, on the other side she has a strong desire to be treated like an adult. This longing for adulthood is part of her coming of age, and is demonstrated by her going out to “bright-lit, fly-infested restaurant[s]” and meeting boys, staying out with those boys for three hours at a time, and lying to her parents about where she has been and who she has been with (Oates 325, 326). “Everything about her ha[s] two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home” (Oates 324). Even her physical movements represent her two-sided nature: “her walk that could be childlike and bobbing, or languid enough to make anyone think she was hearin...
The short story, “ Where are you going, Where have you been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, an award-winning author, is known for unmasking the evil within everything and presenting it to the world through a fictional story. In what is thought to be her most terrifying yet highly acclaimed short story, Oates references many fairy tales that help carve the short story into a realistic allegory. She models the short story after the real-life murder of a teenage girl by the American serial killer Charles Schmid also known as the “Pied Piper of Tuscon .” Knowing this information allows a greater sense of reality opposed to fiction because the events throughout the story are fairly similar to the tragic horror that took place on May 31, 1964. The story deals with the temptations and the coming of age of a teenage girl while challenging the perception of America during the 60’s. Oates references several fairy tales throughout the story to help guide the reader and give a sense of an allusion. There were three fairy tales that stood out the most in the story: Cinderella, the Beauty and the Beast, and Little Red Riding Hood.
Have you ever been so focused on achieving your dreams that you become unaware of your current situation? When we focus on the goals ahead of us, we fail to see the obstacles and dangers that are in front of us. In order to achieve our goals we involuntarily put ourselves in an unwanted situation. Connie, herself, struggles to achieve her goal of being a desirable girl that turns heads when she walks into the room. She becomes so set on being this girl that she doesn’t realize the danger of the situation. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Oates utilizes metaphors, diction, and imagery to show how Connie is in a constant tug between her reality and her dreams, and how this confines her freedoms in a world that is surrounded with malevolence.
Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” tells the tale of a fifteen year old girl named Connie living in the early 1960’s who is stalked and ultimately abducted by a man who calls himself Arnold Friend. The short story is based on a true event, but has been analyzed by many literary scholars and allegedly possesses numerous underlying themes. Two of the most popular interpretations of the story are that the entire scenario is only dreamt by Connie (Rubin, 58) and that the abductor is really the devil in disguise (Easterly, 537). But the truth is that sometimes people really can just be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Connie, a victim of terrifying circumstance will be forever changed by her interactions with Friend.
Joyce Carol Oates short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” follows the story of a 15-year-old girl, in the summer of the late 1960’s named Connie; who loves to act older than she actually is. And by doing this, she attracts the wrong kind of attention, in other words, she succumbs to her own vanities and insecurities. It is clear that the portrayal of Arnold Friend represents an incarnation of evil or Satan himself, who tries to lure Connie into his world of sex, drugs, and false promises. And the harsh reality is, Oates connects the story to real life scenarios, in which young girls, or even grown women are lured and taken away, due to false promises and a good time. Arnold Friend represents an incarnation
Connie is described as being an attractive fifteen year old girl whose actions are stereotypical of what one might expect from a girl her age. She spends her time listening to music, shopping, daydreaming, having fun, and trying to meet boys. Her friends share the same interests and when they are together they, ?would lean together and whisper and laugh secretly?. ( ) Connie puts on two different shows, one to her friends and a completely separate one to her family. ?Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home.?( ) Connie does not show any real affection ...
Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” leaves readers wondering what exactly happens to Connie, the main character, at the end of the story. Connie is a typical teenaged girl who would rather listen to music and flirt with boys than allocate any of her precious time to her family. While Connie is home alone on a warm summer day, a man in a convertible jalopy arrives at her house. She recognizes the man from the night before and he encourages Connie to go for a ride with him. As Connie’s hesitation grows, the man’s tone becomes more threatening, leaving Connie in a panicked state. Indistinct detail used by Oates leaves the ending of the story open to interpretation. The attack on Connie and the events leading
In “Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?” Joyce Carol Oates offers a psychological portrait of a vain, vulnerable teenage girl searching for independence. In the story, Connie meets the evil but smooth talking Arnold friend at a drive-in restaurant. Unfortunately, Connie’s fantasy of finding romance leads her to go off with Friend although the reader suspects Friend will eventually harm Connie. In the story, Oates uses Connie’s character to develop the theme of how the psychological and social pressure young girls can experience as they seek independence. We learn about Connie’s determination to be free through her rebelliousness toward her mother, through her acting older than she is, and her desire for romance.
Music acts as a bridge between the physical world, where she is constantly fighting with her parents and sister, to a fantasy world where she is in control of whatever happens. Oates takes this even further though portraying the incident with Arnold Friend as neither quite reality nor fantasy. Oates fills Connie’s head with ideas taken from the songs on the radio about love and boys and in general just being a teenager. When she finds herself in a situation with Arnold, her knowledge about attraction fails her. No longer is it the romantic words that are in her favorite song but instead a creepy old man looking at her like prey. **analyze song lyrics??** Arnold demonstrates a sort of omniscient presence in the story by knowing every little detail of Connie’s life, including what her family was wearing that day when they were at the barbeque. He seemed to know about all of her family members, not just her mother, father, and sister. He also asked about one of her neighbors. Knowing all this stuff makes