Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been By Joyce Carol Oates

In 1966, Joyce Carol Oates published her short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”. Oates was inspired to write this story after reading about a serial killer that was referred to as “The Pied Piper of Tucson”. Oates was disturbed by the number of teenagers that this killer was able to persuade to help him and keep his secrets (Oates 1). Oates uses irony, imagery, and symbolism to support her theme of evil in this short story.

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" by Joyce Carol Oates (1966) Is a story of a fifteen year old girl named connie who is naive and self-centered, through her search of independence she is murdered.

boys to live out her childish delusions of romance and allows herself to be swept away by this

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.

Connie’s identity is shown at the end of the story, but who she was at the beginning of the story differs to who she became at the end of the story. To start, Connie was a fifteen year old girl who was beautiful and adventuress, but failed to acknowledge and grasp the idea of a real family. Connie’s family or her mother is not the exact loving and caring mother some people have experienced. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”, Connie sated “Her mother, who noticed everything and knew everything and who hadn 't

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been is a short story originally written by Joyce Carol Oates. It was first published in 1996 and immediately faced sufficient criticism and public discussions. This story involves both surreal myth and deep psychological realism which obviously distinguish this writing among other works of the author. In the center of the narration is a young girl named Connie. She is fifteen years old and is experiencing quite a turbulent period of her life. Her mother constantly compares her to her older sister and this factor only intensifies Connie's feeling that her mother does not understand her. In the story, the world of Connie is quite contradictory as well as her character itself. Nevertheless, it remains interesting to explore until the very last page of Oates' writing.

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

“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

There are always two sides to every story. The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”, by Joyce Carol Oates is a prefect example of just that. In this short story, the main character is a fifteen year old girl, named Connie. The young adolescent has two sides to herself; one when she is at home and one when she is out with her friends. When Connie is at home, she acts childlike. However, when she goes out she tries to act like an adult by changing her clothes and the way she talks. She has an older sister who shadows her with her smarts, but Connie believes that she is more beautiful and worthy than June. June is twenty-two years old, very well behaved and is actually close with their mother. Connie not only struggles

Joyce Carol Oates “Where have you gone, Where have you been” demonstrates a dysfunctional relationship amongst a family towards a young lady, Connie, bringing about a dispute as to whether the “Where have you gone, where have you been?” includes biblical references and irony. Using prior knowledge one may conclude that the short story may sounds as if a person is searching for themselves on a journey unknown to take past experiences and learns to use them as a future reference in where to go next.

We all have been there. After a long days work, all we are thinking about is getting home. As you head towards your car, you notice the darkness around you and suddenly feel that you are not alone. Your pace increases and you begin to sweat mildly. If you could just get there, you’d be safe. Suddenly, you hear a noise and decide the best thing for you to do is ignore it. As you approach you car and unlock it, you sigh with relief that you’ve finally have made it. For many, our minds play tricks on us when we feel a moment of fear, however for others it may turn out to be their worst nightmare. In the story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, a young girl is forced to make a decision

Throughout our lives, we are told to ‘never judge a book by its cover’, this mostly happens when we are young because our parents want to teach us to be nice to others no matter what they might look like. Once we grow older this phrase is not so much about judging because of their appearance, but about judging people’s self-esteem because of what they portray. Throughout the short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates, we can see that Connie, the protagonist, seems as though she is so happy about her life, mostly because that is what she shows others with her big smile and sparkly attitude this is shown when in the story it is stated, “…she knew she was pretty and that was everything.” (Oates 176). What this story makes us wonder is how happy was she really? And how does her misery depict throughout the story? Although happiness might be drawn from the smile one shows daily, there could possibly be darkness and sorrow hiding form within; not only from others, but from oneself altogether. The irony and imagery used in this story helps the reader catch beyond what is said to show how much a person can hide behind a smile.

The devil is known for capturing sinners, who engage in unholy practices. Christians view the devil as the enemy, in opposition to a friend. However, when Connie meets Arnold she befriends him, instead of viewing him as an enemy. Connie befriends him as she’s unaware that she’s having a satanic encounter. Although multiple symbols allude to the fact that Connie is having one, Arnold continues to give her hints and warnings that she will soon be captured. Unfortunately, Connie doesn’t have this realization of Arnolds true being until it’s too late. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates, Arnold alludes to the fact that he’s the devil, in order to show that despite the multiple warnings gives her, Connie’s obliviousness allows her to be taken...

The devil, is known for capturing sinners by tempting them with evil. One sin, is sexual promiscuity, as the abuse of sexuality is an abuse of a gift given by God. A widely held belief, is that the body's a temple given by God. However, Connie treats her body the opposite of a temple, and instead uses it for pleasure and to fill her desires. Coonie’s desires lead to Arnold Friend, the devil, being able to capture her. Despite the multiple warning givens to Connie by Arnold, that she needs to change her behavior or she will eventually be captured, Connie, oblivious, continues acting in a negative manner. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, Connie’s sexual activities lead to Arnold the devil capturing her, which is revealed by the characterization and the surroundings of Arnold Friend.

brainwashed society relates to the incompetent teen in Where Are You Going, Where Have You