When the character, Arnold Friend, was introduced I did not expect that he would play the role of the enemy in the story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been.” When he arrives at Connie’s home, I began to question my hypothesis. Similarly, Connie’s view of the mysterious man is reformed as Arnold’s true nature is revealed. The realization begins when he discloses all the information he knows about Connie and the whereabouts of her family. This is when I, the reader, and the character begin to suspect that Arnold is not a respectable guy. She then notices his eerily pale skin, aged appearance, unsettling remarks, and seemingly stuffed shoes. These suspicions were confirmed once he spoke of his intentions.…
While self-absorption is one example of a danger Connie experiences while growing up, Oates also exemplifies that not having close and personal relationships with others is another hazard. Throughout the story Oates exposes Connie as being somewhat of a loner in a way, but of Connie’s own choosing.…
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is the suspenseful tale of fifteen year old Connie and her situation with a strange man. Connie, who usually enjoys the attention of the older boys, sees the man randomly when she is on a date. Some time later, the man shows up to Connie’s house and asks her if she wants to go for a ride with him and his friend. The man introduces himself as Arnold Friend, claiming to be eighteen years old. Connie soon begins to realize the two men look much older than eighteen, and she becomes frightened. Arnold begins revealing an uncomfortable amount of information he knows about Connie, which surprises her. When Connie threatens to call the police, Arnold assures her that he will not come in the house unless she picks up the phone. Connie picks up the phone at one point, but puts it back after she cries into it and Arnold instructs her to be a “good girl.” A feeling of emptiness takes over Connie after she finishes sobbing, and she finds herself eventually being lured out of her house by Arnold.…
‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’, a short story by Joyce Carol Oates, takes place in the mid-sixties and revolves around two central characters, Connie and Arnold Friend, who mysteriously appears at Connie’s home and tries to coax her into coming with him before ultimately forcing her. Arnold Friend is a much debated character among critics, largely due to hints of inhuman abilities and his intentions for Connie. It is hard to determine the answers to these because there is no direct description of Arnold Friend that states what he is, nor is it revealed what happens to Connie in the end. The article ‘Connie’s Tambourine Man: A New Reading of Arnold Friend’ by Mike Tierce and John Crafton describes Arnold as a Bob Dylan reincarnation, messiah type figure who has come to save Connie from her family and childhood. However, Mike Tierce and John Crafton’s misinterpretation of Arnold Friend being a savior is wrong because they misconstrue Arnold’s intentions towards Connie, his physical appearance, the numbers on the side of his car, and the role music plays in the portrayal of Arnold Friend.…
Predators and their prey come in various shapes and sizes. When we usually hear the words, predators or prey, we tend to think about something like lions, preying on gazelles in the wildlife. Arnold Friend, however, in the story “Where are you going, Where have you been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, Arnold is not a lion preying on gazelle, but he is a middle-aged man that becomes predatory and preys on 15-year-old Connie. Scheming and being a predatorial is what make Arnold Friend the villainous man he is.…
Weinberger’s article makes many interesting points about the character of Arnold Friend in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”- the main idea being that Arnold represents Connie’s “other self”. According to the article, this can be observed in how Connie and Arnold are opposites in both appearance and behavior, and Arnold’s purpose is to induct Connie into adulthood.…
The story “Where are you going, where have you been?”, written by Joyce Carol Oates, is a psychological thriller. It contains many elements throughout the story that the reader can only attempt to understand. This story can affect one on many different levels. It can cause one to be lost in thought, stuck on the complexity of the 15-year-old main character. It can forever creep one out by the unforgettable traits of the main antagonist.…
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” shows Connie’s double lifestyle brings her to a load of trouble. If only she would have let her family know where she was going, and where she had been, she would not be overpowered by Arnold Friend. Joyce Carol Oates writes her story as if it were a movie. The figurative language, setting, and plot assist the readers while reading this story.…
On a bright weekend morning a Girl was relaxing in her house listening to music when an unfamiliar car pulls into the driveway, the girl doesn't seem to think of any danger that might arise from the car. Any aware person would lock the door and have the phone ready to call the police but not this girl. This girl is easily lured into a trap and taken away from everything she loved. This girl is the protagonist, Connie, from Joyce Carol Oates short story “Where are you going, Where have you been.” Rather than heed the gut feeling most readers have at this moment in the story, Connie ignorantly emerges from her house and engages the stranger, Arnold Friend.…
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 Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?,” Oates uses imagery to show the antagonist, Arnold Friend, as frightening and portrays many qualities of the devil. From the beginning Connie is shown as selfish and promiscuous and what easier target for the devil than a sinful teenager that’s only living for fun. Throughout the story, Arnold Friend has a Rock & Roll vibe that attracts Connie, yet the second she sees the slightest bit of confusions with him she starts to back off. Arnold Friend’s manipulation of Connie, an image that projects off of the pop culture, and knowledge of Connie’s life and surrounding gives the…
In Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where are you going, where have you been?”, Oates tells the story of a young girl named Connie, who is vain, self-centered, rude to her parents, and in an incredible hurry to grow up. She has two different personalities, “one for home, and one for anywhere that was not home.” Everything about her including her smile, her laugh, and her walk transforms as soon as she steps out her front door. Connie, the protagonist of the story, wants to be a part of the world of “big kids” until a shiny golden convertible pulls up one day in her driveway and the mysterious Arnold Friend emerges. Oates uses in-depth characterization and symbolism…
Some say he is the devil, others claim he portrays the godly image of Bob Dylan, or that he is just the mere imagination of a salacious daydream in a young girl's mind. In Joyce Carol Oates acclaimed short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, a 15-year-old girl named Connie, with ever growing feelings of attraction toward the opposite sex, has a vexing encounter with a middle-aged man who goes by the name Arnold Friend. You can’t talk about Arnold Friend, his train of thought, and intentions without talking about and understanding Connie’s character. In the story, Connie is vain, self-centered, and fabricates the truth of her whereabouts to her parents. She and her friend both tell their parents that they are going to the mall…
“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 captured more than just the reader when she wrote the story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been.” Oates recreates an event that took place in the mid-1960s, where a grown man, who had shaggy black hair and a boyish charm, would lure teenage girls into his car, rape and murder them, and then bury their bodies in the desert. The fate of the main character in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” lies between Oates’s wavering suspense. From the beginning Oates shows the reader that the story is a flashback. “Her name was Connie.”…