Connie in “Where are you going‚ Where have you been”‚ has a lot of underlying mental issues. Joyce Carol Oates created the perfect character to receive psychoanalytic criticism. The relationships Connie forms with her family‚ friends‚ and outsiders are all affected by Connie’s issues which come to consume her future. One of Connie’s biggest faults was the recognition of her beauty. She “knew she was pretty and that was everything” (Oates 1). This constant checking of herself in mirrors to make
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Joyce Carol Oates’s short story‚ “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” focuses on the seemingly typical life of a teenage girl‚ Connie. The character irony is found in the fact that a teenage girl in the 1960’s struggled with the same issues teenagers battle with in present society. Connie‚ the main character‚ fights with her parents‚ does not want to be like her older sister‚ and thinks very highly of herself. As a teenage girl typically believes‚ Connie imagines she is the center of attention
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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
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In the 1960s‚ when Oates wrote “Where Are You Going . . . ‚” a social revolution was happening. American women were asserting their rights and independence from men‚ and they were claiming their sexuality in a way they had never done before. One frequently discussed topic was adolescence and the struggles and anxieties that many young girls endured as they lost their sexual innocence and became adult women. Feeling undervalued in their homes and relationships with men‚ women questioned their role
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Where are you going‚ where have you been? In the short story “Where Are You going? Where Have You Been?”‚ by Joyce Carol Oates. The use of the symbolism of Connie’s clothes‚ her fascination with her beauty‚ Arnold Friend’s car and Arnold Friend himself help to understand the story’s theme of evil and manipulation. The story‚ fill with underlying tones of evil. In this short story‚ Oates write about 15-year-old Connie‚ the protagonist of the story‚ a pretty girl who is a little too into her own
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the woman. In Olsen’s I Stand Here Ironing‚ the constraints of oppression were alive in her thoughts. Olsen’s fa’ade was being a housewife‚ she would have rather had other choices in her life and wanted more for her daughter as is told by the last quote in the story: In summary‚ all three women had no choice in their lives or they chose not to have a choice but to follow society’s way of thinking. "It was the only way we could be together‚ the only way I could hold a job" (Olsen 225). They did what
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Kevin Coffman College Composition 2 Mrs. Johnson March 8‚ 2013 Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been? The story‚ “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been” is a very interesting short story written by Joyce Carol Oats. Her story begins in the summer‚ and 15-year-old Connie spends much of her time lounging around the house‚ going out with friends‚ and meeting boys. One night a strange guy makes a threatening gesture to her in the parking lot of a local drive-in restaurant. She thinks nothing
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through certain situations‚ such as change‚ we learn that change is not meant for everyone. Everyone should have a lot of confidence in their self and no one should ever tell them otherwise. Many young girls are growing up faster than they should. But it all starts with the parents for teaching children from youth to adulthood. In the story by Joyce Oates’s‚ “Where are you going‚ where have you been”‚ illustrates a traumatic experience for a very young girl. The common perception is that many people
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Analysis for “Where are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” Joyce Carol Oates’ short story is a complete fiction in the sense that it utilizes all its elements without deemphasizing one for the other. Oates uses point of view‚ setting‚ conflict‚ character‚ and symbol equally well to convey her theme. Oates applies these elements of fiction to give readers a better understanding of the American teenager and to show how a girl is psychologically manipulated by predators. It is evident from the first
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Where are you going‚ Where have you been? Stephanie Bumpase AIU Where are you going‚ Where have you been? The character Connie in the story “Where are you going‚ Where have you been?” was a young 15yr old girl in a small town. She was beautiful and knew that she was beautiful. A flat character is a character that stays the same throughout a story (Gioia & Kennedy‚ 2010) and a round character is the opposite of flat in which the character changes significantly (Gioia & Kennedy‚ 2010)
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