“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates is an important story for people to read because it shows the importance of consent. In the story we read about a fifteen year old named Connie. She enjoys hanging out with her friends and doing things on her own just like any other adolescent. One evening Connie is hanging out with her friends and she catches the eye of an older man. This man’s name is Arnold Friend, he is very controlling and manipulative. The next morning Connie is told that her family is going to her aunt's house for a cookout, just like any other teenager she doesn’t want to spend time with her family. While at home alone Arnold Friend comes to visit her, he persuades asks her to get in the car with him. She
She becomes rebellious day by day. She ignores her mother’s criticisms and starts exploring her sexuality by flirting with boys. Because of her oblivious ways, she fails to recognize trouble when Arnold Friend shows up outside her house. Parents are the ones who should warn their child about the dangers in society and protect them from harm. Connie’s fate proves that her mother has terribly failed as a parent.
The first time Connie notices AF is at a restaurant. Connie notices AF staring at her with a wide grin. Some time later AF goes to Connie’s house to take her for a ride. Connie, however, does not want to go for a ride with him. AF tries to be friendly to Connie and shows her the car that he drives.
A repetitive notion made in the story, as June is used as a meter to compare Connie too; which naturally, no one would like: “June did this, June did that, she saved money and helped clean the house and cooked and Connie couldn 't do a thing, her mind was all filled with trashy daydreams” (308). Ellie 's character, even as quite as he remains, presents a conflict with Arnold. First when he over steps his boundary with Arnold and asked "You want me to pull out the phone?" (318), then being told by Arnold to "Shut your mouth and keep it shut" (318), only to ask about the phone again. To which Arnold responds with more conflict: "you 're deaf, get a hearing aid, right?
When I was 12 years old, my mom took my friends and I to the Haunted Hayride. Unfortunately, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. We got onto the hayride and there was a massive horse with a boy riding it who was headless and mean following us for about 2 minutes. For being in Middle School, I was pretty freaked out when we got off the trailer to walk through a corn maze , when then came a guy wearing a mask with a chainsaw chasing us out!!!! It was an exciting and horrid night for my friends and I.
The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” was written by the author Joyce Carol Oates in 1966. Oates describes her idea for the story after briefly reading an article about the real-life murderer, Charles Schmid, who lured and murdered three teenage girls (Kirszner & Mandell 523). She uses this idea to create the character, Arnold Friend, and his victim, Connie. Connie is a typical teenage girl portrayed as naïve and self-centered. The short story appears realistic, given that the conflict in the story is based off of real events.
Home is where the heart is, but what if home is no longer safe? Joyce Carol Oates explores this concept in her 1966 short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”. On surface level, this story appears to discuss a rebellious young girl named Connie and her confrontation with Arnold Friend, a stalker. The ending leaves the reader to assume that Arnold Friend plans to sexually assault the young girl.
In the coming of age story “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?” Joyce Carol Oates uses symbolism, conflict, and the third person to foreshadow fifteen-year-old Connie’s unfortunate, yet untimely fate. While one may think that the conflict stems from Connie’s promiscuity, it is clear to see her promiscuity is only a result to a much bigger conflict, her mother’s constant nagging and disapproval, alongside the lack of attention from her father. the author paints a vivid picture of what happens when a fifteen-year-old girl such as Connie goes elsewhere to find to find the love, attention, and approval that she lacks at home. All which is vital for her growth and wellbeing as a person.
In her short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", Joyce Carol Oates utilizes a variety of literary devices to strengthen the story in its entirety. This short story is essentially about a 16-year-old girl named Connie and the conflict between her desire to be mature and her desire to remain an adolescent. Throughout the story, the audience sees this conflict through her words in addition to through her behavior. The audience is also introduced to Arnold Friend, a rather peculiar man, who essentially kidnaps her. This short story by Joyce Carol Oates functions and is additionally meaningful because of her usage of literary devices.
The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates is about a teenage girl named Connie who is in the mist of her adolescent rebellion. She wants to prove her maturity to others and herself. In the story, Oates describes that Connie always lets her mind flow freely in between her daydream. She even creates and keeps dreaming about her ideal male figure in her mind to make her happy and satisfied. Oates allows the reader to step into Connie’s “dream world” through the appearance of Arnold Friend.
Lucille Parkinson McCarthy, author of the article, “A Stranger in Strange Lands: A College Student Writing Across the Curriculum”, conducted an experiment that followed one student over a twenty-one month period, through three separate college classes to record his behavioral changes in response to each of the class’s differences in their writing expectations. The purpose was to provide both student and professor a better understanding of the difficulties a student faces while adjusting to the different social and academic settings of each class. McCarthy chose to enter her study without any sort of hypothesis, therefore allowing herself an opportunity to better understand how each writing assignment related to the class specifically and “what
Once when I was about five, I was alone in my room coloring in my Hot Wheels coloring book. Then as I was picking up the Yellow Crayon, at the corner of my eye, I see a small little shadow just creep my cabinet in front of me. I quickly got up and ran towards my parent’s room with my coloring book, and I looked behind me and I saw that shadow running after me. As I was running, I stumbled over my own foot and fell.
Carol Joyce Oates’ “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?” presents how falling into temptation leads to giving up control and innocence. Though her mother is unapproving of her actions, Connie spends her time seeking attention from male strangers. Home alone, Connie is approached by a compelling creature who convinces her to leave her life and join him on his unknown journey. Through disapproving her family, having multiple appearances, listening to music, and her desperation to receive attention from boys, Connie gives up control of herself losing the purity of adolescents and contributing to her detrimental fate. It is imperative that one should not be controlled because of a desire to impress others.
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” is about a teenager named Connie who is trying to come to terms with her transformation from childhood to adulthood. Through this process, Connie attempts to act older than she is an tries to gain the attention of boys. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” Joyce Oates portrays Connie as obsessed with men to symbolize how one’s obsession and narcissistic attitude can cause danger to seem surreal. In the short story, Carol Oates describes Connie as having two different personalities, one being a narcissistic attitude.
Smooth Talk is slightly based on Joyce Carol Oates’ story titled “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” but isn’t as straightforward and frankly gruesome. The story focuses on the 1960’s suburbia from a teenagers perspective. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” focuses on topics relevant in the 1960’s including the Sexual Revolution. Oates’ focuses on major issues and topics such as feminism, sexual freedom, and adolescent sexuality.
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been? By Joyce Carol Oates Psychoanalytic Criticism Question How are id, ego and superego represented in “Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?” By Joyce Carol Oates?