Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Techniques

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“Stop gawking at yourself. Who are you? You think you’re so pretty?” ‘Where are you going, where have you been?’ is a short story about a girl named Connie. Connie is a 15 year old girl who to her mother appears vain. Her mother was once pretty and over the years lost her looks so she attacked her daughter. Connie represents the girls of society which seem to be entering womanhood. In “Where are you going, Where have you been?” Joyce Carol Oath uses literary devices to develop both the theme and tone. One way in which the author conveys the theme is through figurative language to develop the theme. For instance “..the tiny metallic world in his glasses slowing down like gelatine hardening” (Oates 318). “His eyes were like chips of broken glass that catch the light in an amiable way” (Oates 319). Both are examples of similes used in the story. The similes are used to describe the characters and it gives the story a hint of mystery. There is a use of irony in the story as well. The author named one of the characters “Arnold Friend.” Looking at the name one would assume that Arnold is a nice person and a …show more content…

The title of the story is an unusual name, “Where are you going, Where have you been?” and it’s rather long. The title seems to be a question directed towards Connie. Connie is a girl than loves to act and be treated like an adult. It appears that Connie is always out partying and therefore the title would represent the question that her parents would ask her. However, Connie’s parents seemed to be uninterested with her life since they did not bother to take her to a family party. The title could represent a question directed towards Arnold Friend. Connie constantly asked Arnold where they were going to. Arnold seemed to mock the title. He states, “The place where you came from ain’t there anymore, and where you had in mind to go is cancelled out” (Oates 325). It seems to be a response towards the

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    In Joyce Carol Oates’, “ Where are You going Where have you been,” it was a sunday morning when Arnold continues another one of his daily routines. The main girl, Connie, is a self-centered and shy girl, whose mother is always puts her in the background and makes her feel excluded. For instance, her mother says rude comments like “you think your so pretty” and “you don't see your sister using that junk” (1). Then a guy came into her life. “Where are You Going Where Have You been illustrates a man who uses charms and good looks to get young or middle aged women to satisfy himself, but with this one girl he has some trouble along the way.

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  • Folktales: Comparison with Joyce Carol Oate´s Where are you Going, Where Have you Been?

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    One way that, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", is a perculiar story is how at Connies house, Connie tells him again to leave and then she fear strikes her as she grows a little dizzy when Arnold Friend begins to tell Connie where they are and what they are doing at that exact and precise moment. She gets very nervous when he tells her that he knows that they are at the barbeque at their neighbors house. Hearing this information and everything that this man knows, Connie grows extremely horrified, but also very fascinated by his precise description of what was happening. Connie wants to go into the house because Arnold Friend moves closer towards the porch ...

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