Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Summary

Journal #1
In the story “Where are You Going, Where Have You Been”, the main character Connie is a 15-year old teenage girl, who always daydreams and wants to escape from her family, or her life. The author Joyce Carol Oates use music as a key instrument for Connie to transfer between the reality to her fantasy world. When listening to music, she daydreams about boys and romance, trying to take herself into the world that she wants to be. This is what most of us, as teenagers, have been gone through. Growing up in the twentieth century, we either know or accept different kinds of mass media, such as music, television, as well as movies. From these mass media, we learn; we dream; we think. This is the same as what Connie does in the story. On the other hand, we as dependent children will try to get rid of our family constraints. We want to be independent just like the way she does. Therefore, Connie is sharing the same experience with us. However, at the end of the story, the place they are going is not specific enough that I got confused.

He tells Connie that “the place where you came from ain’t there anymore, and where you had in mind to go is cancelled out” (Oates, 9). This title emphasizes not only the fear but also desire that Connie has during her teenage time. Also, similar sentences like” where’re we going?”(4) repeat several time in the story to keep us focus on and think about the actual meaning of the question and what it is important to