Compare And Contrast Where Are You Going Where Have You Been

Another symbolism of evil is that Arnold tells Connie that he will not come in her house. He has come to take Connie away but “he may not cross a threshold uninvited” (Wegs 2). Arnold threatens Connie by telling her that if she does not come outside then he will wait till her family gets home “then they’re all going to get it” (Oates 481). Arnold ultimately lures Connie out by promising that her family will be unharmed if she gives herself to him (Oates 1). We do not know how Connie sacrifices herself. As Oates states in her article, we only know “that she is generous enough to make it”.

Authors of great stories often use good technical writing skills. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast two short stories: Where Are you going, Where Have You Been by Joyce Carol Oates and Hills Like White Elephants by Earnest Hemingway. The comparison and contrast will be done based on their use of plot, point of view and character development.

Theriot, Michele D. "The Eternal Present in Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”." Journal of Short Story in English 48 (2007): 59-70. Print.

In the story the ending concludes that Connie gets into the car with Arnold Friend and drives off with him in his golden vehicle, an “open jalopy, painted a bright gold,” (Oates, para. 15) without any explanation of what occurs after the ride, leaving the reader in the dark about what had occurred “on all sides of him—so much land that Connie had never seen before and did not recognize except to know that she was going to it.” (Oates, para. 162) In the movie Smooth Talk the Connie is taken from her house by Arnold Friend and driven to an unknown field where something occurs with slight faint screams in the distance while the camera is focused on the golden vehicle. She is then driven back to her home, where apparently some time has passed, and is reunited with her family with a “new outlook” on life. The house is different and even Connie’s room is changed, creating an effect that Connie has passed on and her spirit returned to mend broken ties with her family. The cliffhanger that Oates leaves and the insight that Chopra allocates are significantly

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates is based on a real-life event of Charles Schmid Jr. and the murder of multiple girls. The short story is designed around this historical event and has several key points that are comparable to both the story and the event. This story starts with a girl Connie who, like any typical teenager, is very flirtatious with a lot of guys; one person, in particular, Arnold Friend, is portrayed as a cougar. He shows up to Connie’s place, takes her somewhere and what's left is an inferred cliffhanger. The short story gives a more effective ending as it leaves the reader in a state of deep and complex thought in relations to the sudden and abrupt ending. Threats such as burning Connie’s house down, stopping her heart, and “going for a ride” are red flags that hint at Connie’s near future.

The Cultural Revolution and Sexual Desires in Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”

If not thought about or read over more than once, the fact that Connie’s father was almost a phantom in her life might be missed. In this era, fathers in particular were not very active in their children’s lives, daughters especially; they were the mother’s problem. This same idea carries over to the father of Connie’s best girlfriend, who after driving them to the stores or movies “…never even bothered to ask what they had done.” (Oates, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"), the name of the story is also a question that should be asked of any daughter by her father. The fathers in question here display a sense of total apathy to the question of what their daughters are actually doing. These fathers came from a time in the 40’s and 50’s when men worried about men things and woman issues were exactly that. Men and in particular fathers of that time made no effort to be involved in their daughters lives as they are today. Oates noticed that issue in society and attached it to her work in this story although minutely. The main conflict in Connie’s life is trying to balance a fine line between the way she acts at home in front of her mother, and her secret wild side which she only shows to her friends and the boys she meets. Oates’ characterization of Connie is that of a round character, one of intense

During the conversation between Connie and Arnold Friend, she experiences a dramatic moment so intense that it cannot be avoided or ignored. Her attempt was creating a sexy appearance and fascinating the boys in the local diner delivers as her experiment to analyze new fields as well as a new side of herself. However, until Arnold comes into the story, her expeditions have always been closed into security. She may go into an dark alley with a boy for a short period, but no matter what happens there,

The language of "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" is sophisticated in narration, and colloquial, matched to the age of the characters, in dialogues and quotations. It spends much time on description of people, their feelings and emotions.

The teenage rebellion, which most of people experience during the puberty, always worsens the relationship between parents and children. Written by Joyce Carol Oates, the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” describes the condition and consequence of a family whose child is rebellious. Through the characterization, plot, and dialogue, Oates successfully exhibits the thesis that Connie’s bad ending is the consequence of her parents’ attitude and actions.

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” written by Joyce Carol Oates is an unsettling and incredibly formidable story of a young woman’s loss of innocence during a time of social change and turbulent times. The story’s protagonist is Connie, a self-absorbed, yet beautiful fifteen year old girl, who not only is at odds with her family but also the conservative values handed down by her family. She, unknowing to her parents, spends her evenings exploring her independence and individuality as well as by flirting and picking up boys at a local diner. One evening she catches the attention of a strange, creepy boy who drives a gold, dilapidated convertible. While alone at home one Sunday afternoon, this same creepy boy driving the gold

In her sorrow for the behavior of her daughter Connie, the mother often expresses a bit more appreciation and consideration for the older sister June. She declares somewhere in the story, ‘’Why don’t you keep your room clean like your sister? How’ve you got your hair fixed-what the hell stinks? Hair spray? You don’t see your sister using that junk’’ (Henderson ). It is well-known that anything in excess is harmful, but Connie does not seem to have been aware of this. Connie’s behavior, far away from doing good to her, exposes her to her sexual predator as an easy prey.

The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” By Joyce Carol Oates is about a fifteen year old girl named Connie, who is constantly keeping up with her appearance and trying to appear older and more mature than she is. Her mother was always looking for a reason to yell at Connie and always compared her to her older sister June. The only reason why Connie is allowed to go out with her friends is because June does. Connie’s friends father usually drives the girls to the shopping plaza and doesn’t pick them up until late. Until then, the girls usually cross the highway to a drive-in restaurant to meet older boys. One night she spends a few hours with a boy named Eddie. As she walks through the parking lot, a man in a gold convertible

The irony of the story is quite simple. Connie tries so hard to be seductive and outgoing, but that causes her trouble with Arnold. She pretends “to fidget” and blushes “a little” (3) while trying to decide whether she liked him. Connie invited an opportunity for independence and control. She makes herself vulnerable to Arnold through this aspect. Her growing sexuality is both a source of social and cultural power. This acts as a weakness to Connie ad allows Arnold to manipulate her. He uses her willingness to engage in flirting to draw her into a dangerous situation. Connie has no way to resist since this is her only option. In the end, she sacrifices her

He insisted he was her lover, and other things. But she always replied telling him he was crazy. Connie tried to make excuses after excuses and he dismissed each one of them, she even threatened to call the police. He promised her, if she did not call the police; he would not step foot inside the house. Connie was scared, well more like traumatized at this point, the door was locked, her kitchen looked unfamiliar to her, her heart was panting, and she did not want to enter another part of her house. Arnold threatened and questioned whether she wanted something bad to happen to her loved ones, which she didn’t. Connie proceeded to go to another room and pick up the phone, but there was nothing but an uproar coming from the other end of the phone, scared she couldn't do anything but scream and cry out for her parents. After a while she regained her mental and put the phone back like Arnold asked her to, she thought she would never see her family again or even lay in her bed. Connie listened to the voice that happened to be Arnold and finally went with him, although she was full of fear and