Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

There is much temptation in the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been.” Joyce Carol Oates tells the climactic story of a fifteen year old girl named Connie; a reserved individual, who lives a double life. When a strange man named Arnold Friend and his buddy Ellie show up in Connie’s driveway and they ask if she wants to take a ride with them, will she sacrifice herself and go with them? Or is the whole story just a dream?

In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol, Oates we have a story of a teenage girl named Connie who is talked in to going for a ride with a guy who she has never meet before. In the story we get to see how this extremely intelligent guy named Arnold Friend gets her to do what he want without forcing her. Connie shouldn’t be blame for getting into Arnolds car, because she is only a teen and doesn’t know any better also, Arnold uses his knowledge of Connie and her family to manipulate her into doing what he want.

In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, the focus is on Connie: a young, impressionable, and insecure girl who is not certain where her place is in the world. At first glance, the story seems like any other in which a teenage girl struggles to come to terms with who she is and where she fits in. Yet, it takes a dark twist when Connie meets a seemingly charming stranger who obviously makes Connie uncomfortable when he reveals his true nature. The revelation that the stranger is actually an older man is both disturbing and unsettling, especially since he is forceful and demanding with Connie as soon as she starts to show signs of discomfort. Although this story starts off as an innocent tale of the tribulations of

Joyce Carol Oates “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is about a young teenage girl, named Connie, who is trying to live life free from worries. Connie focuses on herself all the time and wants attention from everyone. Connie has long dark blonde hair that drew anyone’s eye to it and she wore clothes that looked one way at her house then a totally different way when she was away from home. Her family does not care about what she wants to do or where she wants to go. Oates represents Connie as a young innocent girl who meets Arnold Friend which could change her outlook of her wanting to grow up to fast. Arnold Friend is a mysterious character who is a complete stranger to Connie but causes her to become

This exposure with Arnold Friend was Connie’s death experience, and through the story Arnold carries out an order from his superiors to lead Connie to her death, and he is certain that she has to leave with him. Even though, she tries to fight to stay inside her house or “alive” but she knows that the end of her existence is closer that she imagines. Oates states, “She thought, I’m not going to see my mother again. She thought, I’m not going to sleep in my bed again” (Oates). This fear in Connie’s heart and mind is telling her that she is not going to be ok, and that she is going

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

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

Analyzing Connie, the female protagonist in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” reveals the character’s journey of rebellion, a search for identity, and the protagonist’s psychological problems. Connie appears to be a seemingly normal teenage female during the first few sentences: fifteen years old, physically beautiful, and appears semi-narcissistic. As one reads on, underlying psychological issues begin to unearth themselves. Connie has a habit of needing to know that she is beautiful; she is continuously “…craning her neck to glance into mirrors…checking other people’s faces to make sure hers was alright.” (Perrine’s 487) Being a somewhat typical habit of teenage girls, always wanting to look at themselves, whether it is out of admiration or self-judgment, Connie is constantly aware of herself and appearance, despite her mother’s nagging. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” this appears to be an indication of a present insecurity, a lack of a sense of who Connie is. In the first paragraph, Connie describes beauty as “being everything” (Perrine’s 487); we are able to interpret the fact that without her beauty, Connie would be nothing. She continuously attempts to establish her own identity; she tests the boundaries with her parents, develops a separate persona when she is away from home, and searches out approval from older boys at the drive-in. This lack of self eventually plays a part in leaving with Arnold Friend, at the end of the story.

This chain of events could have been altered at any moment, however Connie’s attributes caused her to come to this tragic end. In the story, “Where are you going, where have you been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, the main character, Connie, was kidnapped at the end of the story due to her naivety,

Have you ever had a dream that felt so real because of how much you wanted it, no? Well now i will tell you who has. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates is an interesting and controversial short story that will leave the reader guessing. Through setting, plot, and characterization Joyce Carol oates successfully achieves the idea that Connie’s interaction with Arnold Friend is merely a dream meant to fulfill her deep desires. good.

In Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?,” the character Connie searches for independence and explores autonomy. The author uses many symbols such as music, looks, and a car to illustrate Connie’s yearn for independence. Connie often uses her sexuality as way of exploration. She also pushes away most adults and anything that she feels is plain or boring. Her quest to find herself leads her to a dangerous path and her wishing that she could go back to that “boring” life.

In “Where are you going, where have you been”, Joyce Carol Oates presents a theory to the reader that undeniable affects the way you read the short story. Throughout the texts you are given many reasons to believe that the main character, Connie, is in a dream or that she is having an out-of-body experience. Her incident almost seems like a cut out of a horror movie, and although it seems to like a dream, but to me it is to real to be something imagined.

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.

Between the two short stories both written by author Joyce Carol Oates, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” “Life After High School”, it is clear that the story “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been, is the more superior story when comparing literary elements found throughout the story. Joyce Carol Oates uses symbolism, simile, metaphor and imagery to explain what Connie went through.

Dreams are theorized to express your desires, but what if you found out they unknowingly taught you life lessons within? Joyce Carol Oates implies in her short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?,” that this is the case. Through characterization, plot, and dialogue Oates uncovers that Connie has actually been dreaming, as Sigmund Freud once thoreorised.