Where Are You Going ': Joyce Carry Oates' Where Have You Been

It all happened on a warm sunny saturday morning in “Where are you going. Where have you been’’ by Joyce Carry Oates. It started with an unfamiliar car bouncing along Connie's long drive way. When she first heard the car she rushed to the window excitedly, frantically fixing her hair. Making sure she looked good, seemed to be an insecure habit for Connie. She saw an uninvited boyish looking man who was situated in the car parked now in her driveway. There was a tension of unease about the boyish man, he acted if he was supposed to be at Connie's house, as if she has told him to come. She should have taken him being there uninvited more seriously, by locking the door or even calling the police. Connie was too caught up with herself to realize
what Arnold Friend was up to and the story ended with Connie getting abducted by Arnold Friend. Connie’s insecurity and enthusiasm for music foreshadowed how Arnold Friend was able to manipulate Connie into eventually going with him for the safety of her family.
Connie’s interest in music foreshadows Arnold using music to try and make Connie comfortable with him.
The description Connie uses for music, “Bathed in a glow of slow-pulsed joy that seemed to rise mysteriously out of the music itself.”, shows how she is affected by it. Arnold uses music to try and make Connie feel safe and stimulated by him. He uses it to try and get her to come outside with him, continuing his stalkerish nature. Arnold uses music to communicate with Connie, because he knew what her favorite music and artist were. He knew it made her feel relaxed and by being relaxed he hoped it would make Connie feel more comfortable with him.
Even though Connie is insecure and a little flattered by Arnold’s attention, she doesn't feel comfortable with him, until he spoke of Bobby King, her favorite singer. Then Connie shows a slight interest. “He’s kind of great.”, Connie said reluctantly. This is the only time Connie responded with a little interest.
When Connie saw Arnold sitting in a car listening to music, she recognized the music that was playing and his black hair and odd boyish figure left a imprint in her head. Arnold’s comment, “Gonna get you baby.” foreshadows the dreadful ending of the story Arnold fulfills what he says to her. Connie thought the comment was quote was playful, but it is a foreshadowing a very real threat.
Connie’s insecurities foreshadowed her ability to get manipulated by Arnold
Friend.
Connie is obsessed with her appearance and how people look at her. This is shown in the description in the quote, “Habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors or checking other people's faces to make sure her own was all right.”
Arnold Friend got Connie to keep talking to him by talking about her appearance and how pretty she is. Connie has two different ways of portraying herself depending on whether she's home or out. This shows she’s not very confident in who she is, “Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home.”Because of Connie's insecurities, she is easy to manipulate. Her insecurity foreshadows how Arnold uses it to get her to do what he wants. He is able to use Connies insecurities and low self esteem and uses her weakness against her.
In conclusion, Connie’s low self esteem and great interest in music make her the perfect target for Arnold Friend. He preyed on people like Connie, using her issues to his advantage. He used things like “honey” and “cute” to make her feel pretty and good about herself. He then used talking about her favorite music to start conversation and make her feel comfortable with him. Both music and Connie’s insecurities were forshadows of the ultimate outcome of “Where are you going. Where have you been’’ by Joyce Carry Oates.