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

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In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” there are many theories as to who Arnold Friend is and what his role. The story does not introduce Arnold till the middle and end of the story when Arnold Friend and Ellie Oscar, his friend, decides to pull up to Connie’s house trying to be gentle, but threatening at the same time. The tone sets the mood of the story, the way he talks is suave, so he doesn’t scare her as much but you could sense a little of annoyance in his voice when she refuses. He asks her to come ride with him, but then starts to threaten her family so she would get out the house and be with him. Many would argue he portrays Satan or Connie’s karma for her misbehavior. Throughout the story, there are references that relates to the bible that relates to the title. Arnold’s friend, Ellie plays the quiet, menacing creep who seems like he is trying to help Connie when he offers to let her …show more content…

I don’t know what role Ellie plays in the story, but someone who came with the radio/music. Music is being played in her house, in the car, and at the restaurant. When Oates, the author, was writing the story, she had Bob Dylan’s song “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” in mind. Towards the end, Arnold mentions a girl with blue eyes, yet Connie’s eyes are brown, which makes you think if he has some sort of mental issue. We don’t know what happened to Connie at the end, but someone who is in his 40’s thinking she’s someone else can’t be a good thing. He’s dressed as though he wants to look young and trick Connie into thinking he is young just so she can be attracted to him. Music sets the mood and tone for the story, the type of music being played is and comparing his voice to music. It’s intense, yet not too intense, like we could feel what Connie feels. The way he speaks “in a simple lilting voice, exactly as if he were reciting the words to a song.” It’s gentle so he does not scare her

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From the opening lines of, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” By Joyce Carol Oates, readers are immediately introduced to the character, as well as indicating the story is being told by a third person narrator. The use of a third person narrator lets readers know what connie is thinking allowing them to identify with her on a more personal level. The beginning of the story is also introduced in past tense. This could foreshadow the fact that something bad might have happened to connie, also suggesting the theme of violence.

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In Joyce Carol Oates fictional short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” the majority of the story lies beneath the surface. More specifically than just the story, you realize that there is more to the character Arnold Friend than what may appear. The author has always remained silent and ambiguous about the real meaning of Arnold Friend’s true nature and she leaves room for the readers to make their own interpretation of him. Readers can analyze Arnold Friend and see him as the devil, he could just be the personification of popular music imagined by Connie in a dream, but Arnold Friend could also be the result of drug use.

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People look like animals. Of course, people are animals, but that’s not what I mean. Sometimes, when my friends and I are bored, we will decide what animals others resemble. Though I think most people resemble bunnies, one can find an entire A notable celebrity example would be Snoop Dogg, a rapper who actually looks like the creature for which he was named. Besides just their looks, some people’s personalities can be represented by other organisms.

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Dangers Women Face in the Literary and Real World An online survey done by Stop Street Harassment in January 2018 revealed eighty-one% of women eighteen and up have experienced a form of sexual harassment. Joyce Carol Oates wrote “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Which is a short story that spreads light on the possible dangers a woman can face. The story follows the main character Connie, and her experiences as a young woman, while being followed and found by Arnold Friend. Arnold Friend’s character is modeled after a murderer at the time who killed three highschool aged girls.

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Summary: (1). Connie and her friends go to the restaurant where all the older kids hang at. (2). Connie meets a boy named Eddie and she hangs out with him for a few hours. (3).

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Oates’s biography explained her fiction writing as a mixture violence and sexual obsession. The writing style definitely fits the plot point of this story with both of her literary ingredients being present in not only Arnold Friend but in Connie as well. The Protagonist Connie is presented in a very self-centered way. She is obsessed with her looks and often fantasizes about all the boys she meets.

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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.

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Everything you do has a consequence hiding in the choice. Whether that consequence is beneficial or harmful, usually depends upon the choice, or action of the person. Yet the fact of the matter remains, everything one does, or anything one will do, will always cause some other thing to happen. One cannot be born and live through life without having affected the world around them. One will always influence the future, no matter if the influence is lasting or not.

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Joyce Carol Oates short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” contains many major themes most of which are dealing with the main character, Connie, and her personal struggles due in fact to her belief that she is no longer a child, but a mature young adult. The main theme I would like to focus on is the pursuit and longing for self–identity. As a young fifteen year old girl, she reveals herself as having a prodigious amount of self-confidence in her looks while feeling deterred by her mom’s actions towards her, in turn, dampening the confidence built up inside. She is a rather normal fifteen year old believing she is much more mature than she is, trying to act as an adult would. This is reflected in the text when the author states,

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In her story, Oates conveys that the music style of the 1960’s had negative effects on the generation which lead to many problems causing a complete shift in societies ethical views. The story opens up on a rebellious, self centered fifteen year old named Connie that is fascinated in the new music

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Instead of realizing the danger that she was in, Connie was focused on what Arnold Friend was wearing and how attractive he was. Connie’s obsession with finding her own sexuality overpowered her gut feeling of danger. In an analysis of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”, Barbara Wiedemann discusses how the antagonist Arnold Friend is based upon serial killer Charles Schmid, who murdered several young girls during the 1960s. In the analysis, Wiedemann

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He mysteriously knows where Connie lives and invites himself to drive over to her house. Arnold assumes Connie’s friendship by convincing her that he knows everything and everybody, “I know your name and all about you” (Oates 201) when she never told him her name in the first place. He knew her friends, their names as well as what she did the night before. He also knew exactly where Connie’s family was, at a BBQ at Connie’s aunt Tille’s.

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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.

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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.

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Fantasy V.S. Reality In some cases an individual can perceive something as the complete opposite of what it truly is. People create the illusion or the fantasy on what they believe something to be.

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