In Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You been?” readers are introduced to a young female, Connie, who wants to do be herself. She wants to experience a lot of things and her experiencing got her in a stage where she cannot get out. Oates portray in the story that you should not want to be an adult before your time. Connie had not realize that she is not ready to be an adult because there is a lot of things that she do not understand yet. In Oates’ story she has several themes in which she uses them to get her point. Themes such as Connie’s search for independence, Connie’s fantasy, Connie’s freedom, Connie’s identity disclose that she wants to have her own way and not let others tell her what to…
Arnold Friends tone is pleased and devious during the resolution. Arnold talks Connie into coming out of the house to him without giving her any information about himself or is true intentions; although it is implied what he wants to do with her through his tone and subtle hints given by the author. The words Arnold uses in the resolution show how pleased he is that he was able to pursued her into coming out. However, the incorrectness in the things he says such as, “My sweet little blue-eyed girl,” even though Connie has brown eyes, shows how shrewd his plans are. He is trying to lure her into doing something…
Connie remarks Arnold Friend’s strange appearance, regarding his face, his hair, and his gait. At first, she likes his clothes, his muscles––but as she gets a closer look at him, she develops an off feeling about him. Arnold Friend’s face appears to be covered in makeup; his lashes are “thick and black as if painted with a black tar-like material” (ibid. 670). He has used makeup to cover his red skin (discussion in class). To Connie, his shaggy hair “[looks] as crazy as a wig” (Oates, 667). The wig is used to cover up his horns. He also cannot stand in his boots properly and stands “so stiffly relaxed… with…
The short story by Joyce Oates, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” leaves many readers uncomfortable with the actions of “Connie” the main character who is in the midst of adolescent rebellion. Connie is a character who argues with her mother and sister, neglects family life in favor of scoping out boys at the local restaurant, does everything she can to appear older and wiser than she is, and has a mind filled with daydreams and popular music that feed her unrealistic ideas of love and romance. When the stranger, Arnold Friend, arrives at Connie’s house, she must confront the harsh realities of adulthood, which bear little resemblance to her fantasies.…
In the short story by Joyce Carol Oates cleverly uses several different types of imagery and other literary devices to effectively parallel the story between severally religious story’s and symbolism. Oates gives several hints and subtle displays of the stories and the meanings behind those of the bible and Oates also relies heavily on the devil and sacrificial lamb scenario. In some of these teachings we learn that good does not always triumph over evil, especially in the purity of innocence like the main character had Connie. Arnold Friend is a cold truth that the world can easily influence you and persuade you and immediately take that purity away from you if you…
This is also a representation of how he is able to “function is various social arrangements” because at first when he saw Connie at the drive-in theater, he did not hesitate to say that he will be coming for her and now that he is with her, he did not give up and kept a conversation going with Connie all this time. The evidence of this can also be seen in Personality and Individual Differences study which states, “Psychopathy is further associated with superficial charm” (Carter, Campbell, Muncer 58). This evidence goes stand in hand with the way that Arnold is showed his charm towards Connie. Connie then is prone to like Arnold even more because “Women may be responding to DT men’s ability to ‘sell themselves’” (Carter, Campbell, Muncer 60). Arnold is “selling” himself towards Connie since he is opening up as an emotional person after all. Thus, making Connie more vulnerable to liking him. It also shows how smart Arnold is because he “sells” himself in a ways that he knows is going to work because at the end he ends up taking Connie. By selling himself thought his charming ways, Arnold is makes Connie fall for…
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates is a short story that brings many girl’s nightmares to life. The story is one about a young, naïve girl named Connie, and her deranged abductor, Arnold Friend. Oates uses the setting in Connie’s life to create a very realistic situation. Oates also uses descriptive language to create vivid images of the setting, charters, and the emotions Connie feels. By analyzing Connie’s home setting and the descriptive language Oates uses, we will be able to further understand how Connie’s thoughts and actions were effected by her setting.…
Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have you been?” is a coming-of-age short story that depicts the virtually invisible barrier between adolescence and adulthood. Connie is a feisty fifteen-year-old girl that doesn’t intend to ride in the backseat for the duration of her younger years, unlike her older sister June, who her mother tends to favor throughout most of the story. Her mother causes most of the friction in the house between the two, mainly because “[e]verything about [Connie] had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home” (Oates 552). One critical attribute Oates gives Connie is her undeniable infatuation to sexual curiosity and her willingness to explore. Oates paints Connie identical to average…
Connie exhibited the confusing, often superficial behavior typical of those facing the difficult transition from girlhood to womanhood. She really enjoyed music. Connie was more in love with the lyrics of the music than the boys themselves. She even said, “it was something to depend on” (1409). This is even typical for teenage girls now. Music allowed her escape from reality. Unfortunately, she got herself into a very dangerous situation with a 33 year old man. Even though she wanted to be a grown woman, whenever she was face to face with Arnold, we see that she regrets that decision. During the story, Arnold is talking to her about love and ends up saying something that made Connie “put her hands against her ears as if she’d heard something terrible, something not meant for her” (1416). The intentions of Arnold were only going to be harmful to Connie. Her journey may have ended tragically by him either raping or killing her, but the story doesn’t foretell her…
Anything that is too much is harmful. The main character in "Where are you going, Where have you been?" Connie, faces the end conclusion of her shallow ways when she is approached by evil in human form. She had an excess of self-confidence. This self-confidence leads to a false sense of security and bad reputation. Connie also had a large amount of bad choices. She would do her best to impress boys with her looks; eventually she impressed the wrong guy. This short story by Joyce Carol Oates is an allegory tale for moral choice in modern times. Unfortunately we learn the most from stories with tragic endings. Through this story it is important for all girls to be careful what they wish for and the way they portray themselves, because the wrong attitude can lead you to the wrong person.…
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is a short story that poses many questions centered around the protagonist, Connie and the antagonist Arnold Friend and his “comrade” Ellie. The fate of Connie at the end of the story is still up for debate after all these years after the story was published in 1966. The main question posed is who actually is Arnold Friend? Is he the devil or something else? The answer may never be fully known but in my opinion I think that Arnold Friend is a figment of Connie’s imagination that is supposed to symbolize Connie’s entrance into womanhood.…
In the story, Oates does make Arnold out to be a psychopathic stalker, but never objectively states the diabolical nature to his character. Arnold, who is posing as a teen-age boy, could certainly be the devil himself, and it is shown through words, actions, physical traits, as well as in a certain number of religious references that are interspersed throughout the story. These references help to maintain a biblical feeling, and portray his powers beyond a human level. In addition, Friend’s constant metamorphosis and cunning attitude which tends to oscillate from anger to endearment definitely show that he is a double natured individual with the supernatural powers.…
In the story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” Joyce Carol Oates describes a teenager’s emotional turmoil during the transition to womanhood. Connie, the main character of this story is a fifteen years old girl. She is in the stage to leave childhood and enter womanhood, which causes her behavior to change. This behavior change causes conflict (plot) between Connie and her mother. She argues with her mother all the time because she does not like the way she acts and does things. As a result of this conflict she is attracted to someone who is not good for her and poses a great threat to her, and her family. At the end of the story Connie makes a sacrifice to keep her family safe.…
The story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” is essentially about a young woman’s strive for independence, which eventually leads to conflict. Girls today appear as mature women and in addition, are put into adult situations sometimes unwillingly. Oates portrays a social issue that relates to this current society by using symbolism and characterization while taking the reader on a journey throughout the thoughts and feelings of a teenage girl.…
References to popular music and slang date the events in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” to the same period when Oates wrote the story in the mid-1960s. Oates sketches in few details of the town, which is meant to be a typical suburban landscape that includes familiar sights such as a shopping plaza and drive-in restaurant. This setting is further described in the reference to the newness and style of the three-year-old “asbestos ‘ranch house’” Connie lives in. Such an innocuous setting is incongruous with the violence…