Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Summary

“It's all over now, baby blue”. (Dylan 1965) The fictional story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? was written by Joyce Carol Oates in 1966 and is dedicated to Bob Dylan. She stated that her short story was somewhat based off of the song written by Bob Dylan “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”. The short story is about a fifteen-year-old girl named Connie who is very troublesome. She captures the attention of a strange older man named Arnold Friend and he starts to stalk her. Connie’s family goes to town one day and her stalker drives up with another weird man and asks Connie to go with them. She ponders leaving with them until she realizes something is off, she becomes alarmed and goes back inside to call for help. The stalker then threatens her family so she goes with the mysterious men. It is assumed that she is to be abducted and violated. Connie’s character shows the qualities of being vain, immature, and naïve and does not change throughout the entirety of the story.

In spite of the way that Connie tries to show the nearness of being a created woman who has learned about men, her involvement with Arnold reveals this is only an execution. She has made an engaging grown-up personality through her dress, hairstyle, and general direct and gets the thought she hopes for from young fellows. Regardless, Connie dumbfounds her ability to summon thought from young fellows with her longing to truly have

In the short story "Where are you going where have you been?" by Joyce Carol Oats and the song Wake Up by EDEN, the author and the artist both show the thematic concepts on how fantasies come to an end, and when reality hits, it hits hard.

Connie is a young fifteen year old who cares about her sexual drive that men have toward her. “The 1960s unleashed the so called sexual revolution. It seemed more a source of comic relief and tragic nostalgic recirculation than political inspiration…” This revolution consisted of women demanding their own rights so they could become more and more independent. There were significant shifts in social attitudes, behaviors, and institutional regulations at the beginning of the 60’s and also lasted through the 70’s. The sexual drive increased majorly and the amount of women that had sex before marriage also sky rocketed. In Where Are you Going, Where Have You Been, Connie wants sexual attention from men, and that hurts her self-confidence and

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

From the songs and movies, she sings that boys around will act with her as the boys from the lyrics and motion picture. Connie, in fact, behaves with the opposite sex similarly. Finally, it can be said that all her behavior manifestations are such questionable because of the challenging transition from girlhood to womanhood experiencing by her. Until the end of the storyline, her role remains uncertain yet she managed to play numerous of them: from daughter and sister to friend and eventually an object of sexual desire. Apparently, Connie herself remained unsure of the role she represented in her ordinary

In Oates's "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" it portrays the confusing nature of sexuality. A story set in the America of mid-1900s. A conflict of morals characterized this time, especially sexually related ones. There was a hot debate on the topic of sexuality among adolescents. The roles of women were being challenged and quickly changing. This story describes a psychosexual episode between a male predator and the protagonist, a female

Through its contrasting reality and dreamlike scenes, Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” uses details from a true American horror story to convey a message about society, youth and a loss of innocence. Arizona native Charles Schmid murdered Alleen Rowe on May 31, 1964. Schmid was considered a serial killer and was subsequently arrested and convicted of the heinous crimes that he was accused of. The profile of Schmid as a short man who wore makeup, wigs and altered boots to make

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,

A short story titled "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" tells a tale of an adolescent girl who suffers consequences of growing up in the unsupportive environment and the society preoccupied by the media. It is considered to be the most famous work of Joyce Carol Oates, an American writer, the winner of many significant literary awards and a two- time candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature. The story was first published in the fall of 1966. It is dedicated "to Bob Dylan", as though, after having heard Dylan's song "It's all over now, Baby Blue" Oates got inspiration for the story. She was also influenced by the article about Charles Schmid, a twenty-

Arnold Friend, a main character founded in the short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, is often a debated by many readers to be a demon, a crazed stalker and maniac, or in fact Lucifer himself. After reading the short story and analyzing the details of the characters, Arnold Friend really stands out and leaves many unanswered questions on what the author was intending to do with this particular character in identifying who he really is. After thoroughly analyzing the character, Arnold Friend, throughout the story, it is unclear to say that he is a human, yet it is much clearer to indicate that he is a demon, the Devil, or a figment of Connie’s imagination as her deepest desires coming to life.

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.

Another good example of imagery is Scannell's use of metaphors. The use of metaphors in this poem helps intensify the imagination of the reader by linking objects and actions in a familiar manner. For example, the metaphor "roundabouts galloping nowhere” is used to describe the continuous motion of the carousel ride. This metaphor is very effective as it not only describes the ride in detail but also refers to the endless struggle, disappointment and dismay those who work at travelling fairs face, their lives and careers "galloping nowhere".

Oates’ View on Women’s Revolution The traditional housewife is dying out, and the sex object is becoming more and more popular; suddenly, women are showing skin and acting promiscuously. The article “Overview: ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’” explains these events occurring in the 1960s, the time that Oates’ protagonist, Connie, begins and continues to develop, by claiming that “women began to challenge cultural, societal, and legal restrictions that had been imposed upon them for generations.” As a teen maturing during this time period, Connie pursues this lifestyle which just as anything else comes with its positive and negative aspects. Connie chases fun and excitement through her desire of male attention which she receives on some level, whether in her dreams or the town’s drive-in restaurant, without worrying about the consequences of her actions. Through her short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, Joyce Carol Oates expresses her belief that the harmful consequences of this transformation of

For my short story, I mimicked the style of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” I used dialogue in my story, just like Oates did. This is a feature that is unique to this suspense short story. Then, I used descriptive language to describe and provide insight to my characters, just as Oates used to description to describe her characters. In addition, I added two red herrings into my story.