Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Character Analysis Essay

Throughout literature, authors and historical philosophers have contributed to how the human mind has two sides. The duality of man is an identified disparity between good and evil the distinguishment of human behavior in doing right from wrong. Although human nature has no definite explanation upon the release of emotions, additionally the desire to act against society in terms of violence and the laws remains present. In Joyce Carol Oates,“ Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” the affiliation between moral choice and behavior commonly shown through the protagonist Connie, emphasising the hallucination and obsession with boys resulting a shift in personality camouflaged in one body. Oates allegorical significance of the transition in

childhood innocence to adulthood plays another role in duality indicating that decision making is a tough choice.
In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” begins with a mysterious third person narration engaging the reader into Connie's perspective of the story at the same time sparks confusion resembling another side within herself.

Connie a fifteen year old superficial girl who valued beauty and materialistic favors frequently spent loads of her time with friends visiting a burger restaurant where older teenagers lingered around. The story's suspense is conveyed when a boy “wagged a finger and laughed” who observed Connie stating “ I'm gonna get you..” upon revelation they boy was named Arnold friend. Furthermore, with Arnold's visit to Connie's home, shows the merge in demeanor reflecting her overall consciousness left without choice but to sacrifice herself to essentially save her family leaving behind her spirit under the antagonist Arnold who controlled her actions in a mystery and suspense

setting.
In addition the reader can see a form of psychoanalytic behaviors occurring throughout the story. First Connie's shift in personality is viewed in different perspectives between Connie at home and with her friends. According to the narrator “ Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home” (Oates 2). This points out the concept of duality emphasising that Connie walked and talked differently “childlike and bobbing, pale and smirking” as opposed to her house she would display sharp and timid behavior. The reason for Connie's shift in personality manifests the lack of male affection she never received from her absent father “Their father was at work most of the time” leading her to seek love elsewhere leaving out the question “Where are you going where have you been” a typical question parents would ask. Although Connie's happiness abided by her friend visiting the drive in restaurant her state of mind based on a fantasy. According to the narrator “ Her face gleaming with a joy that had nothing to do with Eddie or even the place, it might have been the music” (2). In other words Connie's encounter with Eddie didn't involve interest nor the joy she resembled but meant for the music that revolved around her mind turning the daydream of boys into a concept of music. Moreover the boy who stated “I’m gonna get you” at the restaurant is revealed as Arnold Friend who visited Connie to question “ You wanna come for a ride” releasing temptations and threat of hurting her family if she didn't obey. Connie states “something roared in my ear, a tiny roaring..” (13) “ Her life was nothing that was hers, that belonged to her, but just a pounding, living thing inside this body that wasn't really hers either” (14). To put in another way Connie was possessed by Arnold friend and had no control over her body undermining the release of her malevolent decorum. Elaborating on this notion Connie suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder considering her visions and elusive attitude that rendered her simplicity in lifestyle that involved pointless elements of beauty, friends, and especially boys that typically influenced her neglect of the real world meanwhile fantasizing in her own.
Nevertheless, Joyce Carol Oates uses imagery and symbolism to classify setting and characterization.

The burger restaurant symbolises a church though echos of musicals and its exterior design. The narrator states” the restaurant was shaped like a big bottle, and its cap was a revolving figure of a grinning boy holding a hamburger loft” (2). In other words the restaurant's design shaped like a church with an individual figure at the top refers to the cross of Jesus representing religious activity. In correlation to the restaurant the narrator states “Their faces pleased and expectant as if they were entering a sacred building... listened to the music that was always in the background like music at a church service” (2). Particularly Oates uses simile to note the restaurant experience as a divine place of holiness where people welcomed together in unison. Next Arnold Friend symbolises the devil through his mysterious physical appearance. According to the narrator “He had shaggy, black hair that looked crazy as a wig.. and spoke in a bright monotone” (4). Indeed this represents the “hidden” devil horns Arnold prevented from seeing with a wig in disguise passing of as human something only the devil has power over. According to Joyce M. Wegs “ Arnold is far more than a grotesque portrait of a psychopathic killer masquerading as a teenager, he has all traditional sinister traits.. and source of the devil” ( Joyce 69). Accordingly Wegs agrees Arnold is a symbolism of the devil who

not only hides but also deceives through viscous behaviors. Adding on Arnold Friend's represents “an old fiend” when the letter r is removed from the name fiend means evil spirit and an old refers to his mature age. Also Arnold Friends hidden message is revealed in his car “ 33 ,19, 17 ” that are far beyond numbers but a reference to his age and personality. The number 33 symbolises Arnold's age meanwhile 19 and 17 in combination refers to Ellie's age. According to Mark Robson “ The simple sum of 33, 19, and 17 equals 69, a common sexual expression derived from the older french six-a-neuf” (Robinson 65). In other words Robson refers Arnold to a desperate peodphile looking to find pleasure sexually. The devil is an evil mannequin who looks to deceive and gain control of humanity with lies and commitments of unethical sin.
Finally, Arnold Friend is the opposite of the word “friend” because he befriends Connie at the end to the point where she gives herself up, a moment where her visions are set in a different perspective. Oates does not specifically mention the well being of Connie but influenced the lines “ My little blue eyed girl..was taken up by the vast sunlit reaches of the land behind him and on all sides of him that Connie had never seen before except to know she was going there” (14). This points out that Arnold friend successfully received and fulfilled Connie's desire of male attention through sexual activity. Since Connie suffers from OCD her state of innocence revolves around beauty and boys leading to the scenario of fulfillment as plain fantasy something only found through Arnold in a dream. Although music influenced Connie, she set church aside on sundays and never visited a sacred place ultimately leading to an encounter with the devil showing the consequences of decision making and lack of childhood innocence and fact of being superficial and materialistic.

In Conclusion, “ Where are you going where have you been” depicted many aspects of psychoanalytical references in which Connie suffers from Obsessive compulsive disorder who fantasizes and hallucinates about superficial beauty and male attention of boys rendering her overall consistency and duality in behavior. Thus Oates points out Connie's at home versus Connie with her friends shift in behavior who similarly compared to Bettys way of life. The lack of male affection can lead to serious consequences, Oates in “ Where are you going Where Have You Been” undermines the story of childhood innocence on how decision making is a tough choice with the lack of parental security to question the truth. Meanwhile Arnold Friend the master deceiver referred to the devil provides Connie with moderate attention saying “ I'm gonna get you” which indeed accomplishes his desires in an attempt of rape. Oates finishes off on a cliffhanger leaving the reader in an open interpretation on Connie's state of being in which her persona lies within herself.