Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Literary Analysis Essay

At first glance, the story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates seems like a regular story where a girl just has home problems like every other teenager. However, by looking more into the story you can see that the locations of where Connie is at, mean something different. In my opinion, I believe that the setting plays a significant role in the way Connie alternates her personality around her family and friends. When she is out with friends and not at home with family, she seems in a way, happier. I can relate to Connie, because I was always being compared to my sisters as well, and leaving the house meant that I could actually be who I was. The setting affects the narrator in the same way that was stated earlier. Connie is often living two different lives; she has to pretend to be one person at home, and an entirely
She thrives in the attention they give her, due to the fact that her family refuses to give it to her. Some people may percieve this as her being a “rebellious teenager.” However, in Connie’s case, she has every right to “act out,” and want to be someone one different. When Arnold friend enters the story, it’s when Connie is forced to be both people at once. She enjoys the fact that she Arnold is giving her this attention; however at the same time she is scared and nervous of why he is here, and why he is gives attention. In a sense Arnold Friend is an example of adulthood. If Connie continues with how she is, eventually she may end up trusting anyone and getting hurt. In all, the setting of the story plays a very essential role. We would not have understood why Connie is so vulnerable, and why Arnold Friend chooses to come after her. Connie is fighting between wanting to be herself and wanting to be the person her mother wishes she was, and that is what ultimately causes all of her problems with her family and her