Joyce Carol Oates stories recurring theme is young and reckless. In Oates (1966), a young girl named Connie was rebellious and did whatever she wants. Connie’s rebellious nature made her go to a restaurant where older teens hung out. There Connie had her first encounter with a man named Arnold Friend. Arnold Friend comes to Connie’s house to take her on a ride. When Connie refuses he starts making threats to the wellbeing of her family. Connie who feels powerless in the situation decides to go with Arnold Friend. A reader can see Oates’s interest in being young and reckless when “they went across the highway, ducking fast across the busy road, to a drive-in restaurant where older kids hung out” (para.6). Connie and her friends ran across a