The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is written by Joyce Carol Oates and talks about a girl named Connie who is a carefree fifteen-year-old girl. When she is faced with Arnold Friend, a man who is trying to flirt with her and tries to get her to his car, she does not want it. Connie did not expect this encounter and becomes afraid when she comes across Arnold. Connie, who made “. .sure her own [looks were] all right” (988), wanted to become independent and do things that not every girl her age does, faces a male who wants her, but she does not want him, she begins to become afraid.
For Connie to be taught a lesson of her conceded qualities, she encounters meet Arnold. Arnold is someone who knows every detail about Connie’s lifestyle and supposedly wants to be with her. The dialogue between her and Arnold makes her come to the realization of growing up. In, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” I believe that Oates is conveying the nature of adolescence through symbolism, tone, and
Her mother is always comparing her to her older sister June, and Connie’s father is pretty much absent from her life. Because the lack of family support and guidance, Connie lies to her parents of her whereabouts, and she sneaks away to local hangouts. While being out, she unfortunately catches the eye of Arnold Friend. This man will erase Connie’s innosense and expose her to how cruel the world can actually be. Many literary
In "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been", a 15-year-old girl named Connie struggles with living up to the expectations of her parents. Her older sister June, is the epitome of what her parents
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.
The lies Arnold tells also defines what type of a devilish character he really is, and uncovers what he truly wants in the end no matter the cost; Connie. He tells Connie that he is really 18, but there could be no way he is. Connie does not recognize him at all, and she notices the aging on his face like he was wearing a mask around himself on not shoe Connie his true identity yet. It 's believed that his name isn 't really Arnold Friend his name represents that, he is an old friend. “His smile faded.
Connie’s relationship with her mother is not one she particularly values. Connie is a pretty girl, and “her mother had been pretty once too”, but she is not so much anymore and almost anything Connie does aggravates her (Oates 369). This rigid relationship pushes Connie further away the older she gets. Everything about Connie has “two sides to it,” her shirt “would look one way at home and one way when she was away from home”, she was not fully herself anywhere she went (370). This act shows the way Connie lacks a sense of self.
The character Connie in Joyce Carol Oates short story “Where Are Going, Where Have You Been?” has a lot of issues. The problems Connie has with her social life, family, and the people that she talks to come to control her future which anticipates the development of her character, this correlating to her unfortunate death. The Bob Dylan song “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” perfectly describes her situation which was the inspiration for Oates 's story. In 'Where Are You Going Where Have You Been ' music is a big influence on Connie and Friend specifically rock ‘n ' roll music. Throughout this story, there are plenty of references to music becoming a lifestyle and characters mimicking their favorite artists ' clothing trends.
Author Harlan Coben once said, “Adolescence is always a war; no one gets out unscathed”. There are many attributes shared amongst teens, and in the story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates, the protagonist, Connie is the embodiment of the typical teenage girl. Oates depicts Connie in such a way by the use of Connie’s appearance and actions, as well as her relationships, and budding sexuality. One key element that characterizes Connie as an average teen is her appearance and actions. Some of the most obvious examples come when her clothing choices are described, “...in their shorts and flat ballerina slippers that always scuffed the sidewalk, with charm bracelets jingling on their thin wrists…”.
Leading Towards The End Of Her Life Would Connie had continued being stubborn and obsessed with herself if she knew what the consequences were going to be? In this story called “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” it involves a young teenage girl Name Connie who wants to act older and an old guy name Arnold Friend who is trying to seem young, to get Connie’s attention and ends up figuring out her information. The consequences that she gets put her life in danger and does not make it, to continue with her life. This story is about a 15-year-old girl who has a “habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors” (p.176) and can’t stop looking at herself because she thinks that she is pretty. She has long blond hair that drew anyone’s attention and would wear charm jiggling bracelets (Oates, 177).