Character Analysis Of Connie In 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'
Loving, Superficial, Intimate Teens
"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates catapults its reader into a seductive, fifteen-year-old mindset, embodied by the main character, the rebellious Connie. Connie, much like Sammy, the main character from "A & P" by John Updike, is on the prowl for companionship and sex. Their unsuccessful search for intimacy, appreciation for family life, and superficial attitudes are what bring them together as similar characters but also what makes them different and unique to the part that they play in their own stories.
In both short stories the main characters are of the opposite sex, which changes the viewpoint of both stories. Connie, at fifteen years old, is sexually active and …show more content…
This is obvious in Connie's situation through her actions. She endangers her own life to spare her family from the wrath of Arnold Friend, "You don't want them to get hurt,' Arnold Friend went on, Now get up, honey. Get up all by yourself.' She stood." (p. 510). If she had refused to go, her family would have been put in danger, yet, through the story Connie appears to be very unattached from her family. There is a large amount of tension between her and her mother, "her mother, who noticed everything and knew everything and who hadn't much reason any longer to look at her own face, always scolded Connie about it," (p. 499). Connie's father is uninvolved in her life, "their father was away at work most of the time and when he came home he wanted supper and he read the newspaper at supper and after supper he went to bed. He didn't bother talking much to them " (p. 499) and Connie shows no appreciation for her sister, "she was so plain and chunky and steady that Connie had to hear her praised all the time by her mother and her mother's sisters," (p. 499). She is leading a typical rebellious teenage life where she avoids parental guidance but still has a deep appreciation for them and would risk her own life to spare …show more content…
Throughout "Where You Are Going, Where Have You Been?" Connie is infatuated with her own beauty. Connie "knew she was pretty and that was everything," (p. 499) to her. She, being so flawless in her own eyes, let her ego inflate and developed a snotty attitude toward others who were not as fortunate as her, " and right away someone leaned out a car window and invited them over, but it was just a boy from high school they didn't like. It made them feel good to be able to ignore him," (p. 500). Sammy is also very superficial and judgmental. Over half the story "A & P" is him describing the physical attributes of each of the three girls. One is described as a "chunky kid," another as the girl that, "never quite makes it," and the last as the "queen" whom he continues to illustrate for the following three pages. This is before he has even spoken to the "queen" and he appears to be completely infatuated by her beauty and is basing all of his devotion and deep rooted desire for this girl solely on her
"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates catapults its reader into a seductive, fifteen-year-old mindset, embodied by the main character, the rebellious Connie. Connie, much like Sammy, the main character from "A & P" by John Updike, is on the prowl for companionship and sex. Their unsuccessful search for intimacy, appreciation for family life, and superficial attitudes are what bring them together as similar characters but also what makes them different and unique to the part that they play in their own stories.
In both short stories the main characters are of the opposite sex, which changes the viewpoint of both stories. Connie, at fifteen years old, is sexually active and …show more content…
This is obvious in Connie's situation through her actions. She endangers her own life to spare her family from the wrath of Arnold Friend, "You don't want them to get hurt,' Arnold Friend went on, Now get up, honey. Get up all by yourself.' She stood." (p. 510). If she had refused to go, her family would have been put in danger, yet, through the story Connie appears to be very unattached from her family. There is a large amount of tension between her and her mother, "her mother, who noticed everything and knew everything and who hadn't much reason any longer to look at her own face, always scolded Connie about it," (p. 499). Connie's father is uninvolved in her life, "their father was away at work most of the time and when he came home he wanted supper and he read the newspaper at supper and after supper he went to bed. He didn't bother talking much to them " (p. 499) and Connie shows no appreciation for her sister, "she was so plain and chunky and steady that Connie had to hear her praised all the time by her mother and her mother's sisters," (p. 499). She is leading a typical rebellious teenage life where she avoids parental guidance but still has a deep appreciation for them and would risk her own life to spare …show more content…
Throughout "Where You Are Going, Where Have You Been?" Connie is infatuated with her own beauty. Connie "knew she was pretty and that was everything," (p. 499) to her. She, being so flawless in her own eyes, let her ego inflate and developed a snotty attitude toward others who were not as fortunate as her, " and right away someone leaned out a car window and invited them over, but it was just a boy from high school they didn't like. It made them feel good to be able to ignore him," (p. 500). Sammy is also very superficial and judgmental. Over half the story "A & P" is him describing the physical attributes of each of the three girls. One is described as a "chunky kid," another as the girl that, "never quite makes it," and the last as the "queen" whom he continues to illustrate for the following three pages. This is before he has even spoken to the "queen" and he appears to be completely infatuated by her beauty and is basing all of his devotion and deep rooted desire for this girl solely on her