The story “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been” is essentially about a young woman’s strive for independence‚ which eventually leads to conflict. Girls today appear as mature women and in addition‚ are put into adult situations sometimes unwillingly. Oates portrays a social issue that relates to this current society by using symbolism and characterization while taking the reader on a journey throughout the thoughts and feelings of a teenage girl. There are two main symbols the author uses
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her about love and ends up saying something that made Connie “put her hands against her ears as if she’d heard something terrible‚ something not meant for her” (1416). The intentions of Arnold were only going to be harmful to Connie. Her journey may have ended tragically by him either raping or killing her‚ but the story doesn’t foretell her
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In “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?”‚ the main character‚ Connie‚ is on the brink of adulthood and is experimenting with the sexual freedom that comes with it. On the weekends‚ Connie and her friend go to the mall or the diner and pursue older boys with which they will slip into dark alleys or cars. One night‚ when leaving the diner to go hang out with a boy‚ a man in a gold convertible catches Connie’s eye and says to her‚ “Gonna get you‚ baby”. Later in the story‚ Connie is tanning outside
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Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates‚ the character Arnold Friend was based on the serial killer in which Connie was one of the many victims he had abducted. There are many possibilities on how the author intends the readers to understand it. Such as‚ it could be a dream that Connie is having‚ in all actuality it could be real; it could send a message to young women‚ or it becomes a nightmare when he comes as a demonic figure. Connie has been living this
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In the story “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been” by Joyce Oates‚ the audience explores the story of Connie‚ a normal teenage girl‚ who meets Arnold Friend‚ a seemingly harmless character at first‚ but we later come to find out that he has been stalking her and Arnold
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The ambiguous resolutions of Where Are You Going Where Have You Been and The Night Rhonda Ferguson Was Killed is a coincidence that I found quite strange. In Where Are You Going Where Have You Been‚ the author doesn’t tell us what happens to Connie after Arnold Friend forces her to go with him. Does she die? Does she Live? Similarly‚ the Night Rhonda Ferguson Was Killed‚ the answer as to how Casandra will manage to overcome her friend’s sudden death and her life’s struggles remains to be open to
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Finding Her Identity: An Analysis of “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been? Joyce Carol Oates‚ “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been is about a fifteen year old girl named Connie who is searching for her independence from her mother. The exposition is in the month of July at their home‚ where Connie is being scolded by her mother about her being obsessed with her looks. Her mother says‚ “Stop gawking at yourself. Who are you? You think you’re so pretty? (171) Her mother wants her to be more
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“Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” should not be read through a fantasy/allegorical lens‚ but through a lens of reality. Reading it through the former limits the potency of the story. Everything that takes place in the story is believable‚ and in fact‚ many details of the story are based on real events. Arnold Friend is based on Charles Schmid‚ a real life serial killer who was responsible for the murder of three young girls. Schmid was arrested in 1965 for the rape and murder of Allen Rowe;
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"Where are you going‚ Where have you been?" is one that has had many interpretations over there years‚ by many literary critics and readers alike‚ generating a vast list of themes and meanings to the story. Some have declared the story to be a "feminist allegory‚" while others argue that one of the main characters‚ Arnold‚ is a "savior" or "messiah figure‚" as popular figures during the 1960’s were to young girls like Connie‚ the main character. Though many interpretations have been made‚ and all
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“You can’t change who you are. No matter how you struggle‚ some things will never change. And maybe they shouldn’t” (Thurman‚ Rob). “Identity is a powerful organizing presence in social life today” putting people into sections concerning likes and dislikes‚ culture and customs‚ separates them via social‚ economic and religious differences‚ identity makes a person‚ a person (Leve‚ Lauren). The character regarding one’s self is shaped by identity‚ how they view themselves‚ and largely how society
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