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Analysis Of 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'

599 Words3 Pages

Paul Rider

Robert Baird

ENGL-1020-P34

1/31/2023

Formalist Analysis

The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, presents how weak family bonds can lead to the loss of innocence in youth through Connie, a young, pretty teen with a poor relationship with her mother and an absent father figure, and Arnold Friend, a man posing as a teen to lure Connie into his arms. Joyce Carol Oates used foreshadowing, symbols, and a clever narrative structure to present this theme.

This story is set in the 1960s in America and follows Connie in the third person through her escape from family life and the loss of innocence. It begins with tension between Connie and her mother over her being too pretty and her rebellious teen nature. To relieve herself from her family feud, she went to shopping malls, restaurants, and met with boys with her ‘girl friends’. At the shopping mall, Connie is spied on by Arnold Friend, an odd man showing an unclear interest in her. The following day, Connie's lack of interest in a family barbeque at her aunt's house leads to isolation in her home until Arnold Friend pulls into her driveway. He manipulates Connie into leaving her house and into his arms after threatening to hurt her …show more content…

The first half of the text explains the story in paragraphs while the rising action is textualized in dialogue between Connie and Arnold Friend. This structure was likely used to parallel the duality between the two main characters in how they present themselves to people contrary to their true selves. We see this in Connie in how she wears her clothes and does her hair at home compared to when she is out with her friends. Similarly, Arnold Friend is implied to be wearing a mask or makeup to hide his older age. His car is a symbol that reflects this: the old beaten car has a new paintjob over it to look shiny and cryptic characters to mimic

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Arnold Friend’s sudden appearance in Connie’s life takes her from childhood to adulthood in the blink of an eye and she ultimately becomes a passive victim. Not many fifteen-year-old girls are considered mature at that age and Connie is certainly no exception to that. She is presented as quite vain in her views of herself and those around her. Her mother, once a beauty herself, is constantly nagging at her and telling her to stop gawking at herself in the mirror. Connie considers her older sister June to be somewhat of a spinster who is described as “plain and chunky” (Oates

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Not only does it represent how outdated and bold Arnold is, but it represents Connie too. Arnold has come to take Connie on a ride away from the stuffy home that she despises as if it were some kind of prison. When Arnold starts getting a bit more aggressive with Connie the house becomes her only means of safety, and the car becomes the thing that she must avoid the most because it is what Arnold will use to take her. Her family and home will no longer suffocate Connie in the way that bothered her so, but the car will be her new means of confinement. Once the inevitable happens, and Connie gets in the car, there will be no way of escaping it or Arnold.

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Kevin Billy Professor Lane ENG152 Section 17 1 March 2023 An Old Fiend Elements from the Bible have been incorporated in literary works all throughout time. Characters in all sorts of stories throughout history have been subjected to the idea of resisting evil and being free of sin. A prominent example of this is in the story “Where are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates. This short story takes place from the perspective of Connie, who is an average high school student who has become particularly vulnerable to temptations people her age face.

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In Joyce Carol Oates’s Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been , there certainly is no clear cut way to interpret the story. Oates includes symbolism throughout the story that adds depth and requires the reader to look farther into the reasons behind the details that are included the work. She writes about a fifteen year old girl, Connie, who becomes a victim of Arnold Friend while left home alone . Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been was written in 1966, a time during which a social revolution for American women was in full swing. This empowerment that woman had, as they pushed for complete gender equality, inspired the character of Connie.

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In Joyce Carol Oates’ highly acclaimed short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Oates tells the story of a fictional adolescent girl named Connie that has a run in with pure evil itself in the shape of a man named Arnold Friend. Arnold Friend, a man dressed as a boy that she once saw at a drive-in, shows up at Connie’s house one afternoon when her family is away and tells her that if she does not come out of her house and go away and have sex with him then he will kill her whole family. Throughout the story Connie is shown to be an extreme narcissist, constantly staring at herself and basking in her profound beauty. Connie is a typical teenage girl that only seems to care about boys what others think of her

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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.

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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.

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The relationship between the two was so bad that Connie had homicidal and suicidal thoughts, “Connie wished her mother were dead and she herself were dead and it would all be over. “(86) Some of the harassment from the mother seemed to come from jealousy. Oates shares some insight into the mother’s past and says she was pretty at one point in time “but now her looks were gone and that was why she was always after Connie. ”(85) Her relationship with her father wasn’t much better. In fact, Oates tells us that he didn’t give much thought to anyone in the family because “he didn’t bother talking much to them.”

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Connie’s first encounter with Friend was at a diner when he stated to Connie, “Gonna get you, baby”(pg.1142). Because Connie was use to this type of attention, she did not view it as strange that an older man was calling her in such away. However, if Connie had seen Friend as dangerous instead of just another man, her kidnapping might have been prevented. Later in the story when Friend showed up as Connie’s house, she walked outside and talked to him instead of questioning how he knew where she lived or calling the police. Oates described Connie's interaction with Friend by stating,“Connie liked the way he was dressed, which was the way all of them dressed: tight faded jeans stuffed into black, scuffed boots, a belt that pulled his waist in and showed how lean he was, and a white pullover shirt that was a little soiled and showed the hard muscles of his arms and shoulders”(pg.1145).

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Friend himself. There’s so much symbolism going around this one character and his beloved car alone, that one could write a separate paper on the topic. Speaking of yet more symbolism, we get finally get a formal introduction to Arnold Friend, who’s name alone symbolizes trouble. Since Arnold Friend is symbolizing Satan a known shapeshifter, one could do a little reading into the several interpretations of his name. One, An old friend, this being Eddie, the guy she had burgers with at the mall.

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