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Character Analysis Of Connie In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

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In the short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, by Joyce Carol Oates, Connie met another character named Arnold Friend. Throughout their interactions Connie evolves in the story. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, Connie evolves as a character through Connie's relationship with her mother, interactions with Friend, and her emotional and physical status. Despite the way Connie's mother treated her “she knew she was pretty and that was everything” and she tried to keep her head held high (323). Connie's mother looked at her daughter with disgust as she talked down to her about her looks. This was because Connie could not live up to what her sister was. Connie’s family just wants her to be like her sister so much so that Connie was always compared to June; “June did this, June did that” (324). When Connie’s family leaves, she “sat with her eyes closed in the sun, dreaming and dazed with the warmth about her as if this were a kind of love, the caresses of love” in this way she feels as her family leaves her she dreams of what it would feel like to be loved (326). Connie feels this way because she has yet to feel love in such this way leaving her vulnerable. Due to Connie’s home life and her family not seeing her for herself, Connie looks for attention and affection in …show more content…

Her hand seemed to enclose it. She thought for the first time in her life that it was nothing that was hers, that belonged to her, but just a pounding, living thing inside this body that wasn't really hers either” (336). Connie experiences this through her fear of Friend. She becomes fearful of him when she realizes his true intentions. Connie realized that she could not escape and that she “had never seen before and did not recognize except to know that she was going to it” (337). Throughout her overall interactions with Friends, she evolves emotionally and

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She revels in the attention she receives from boys, seeking validation and romantic experiences. For example, she sneaks off with her friend to the local drive-in restaurant where she engages in flirtatious interactions with boys (Oates 3). This behavior reflects her need for independence and her wish to break free from the constraints of her family life. However, Connie's innocence and naivety leave her vulnerable to manipulation.

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Arnold Friend was there to take Connie away; away from her childhood and home, which never quite felt like home until her fantasy world deteriorated and reality set it. The next moment is pivotal, this is when Connie forgets her hedonism and becomes something of much more substance. Before Connie studies Arnold Friend’s abnormal personality and erratic behavior she is fascinated by him and even worries that she is ill prepared for this

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In Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, Connie is a fifteen-year-old girl, who does not necessarily get along with her family. During the week, she often times goes to a shopping plaza with some of her friends. However, they sneak across the highway to go to a popular diner where the older crowd hangs out at. At home, Connie is often times arguing with her family. One day her family is invited to her aunt's barbecue but Connie refuses to go.

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“But now her looks were gone and that was why she was always after Connie.” (Oates ). Also, there is another opportunity for friendship within the family, between Connie and her sister, however, that is lost in their rivalry and hostility. “Her sister was so plain and chunky and steady that Connie had to hear her praised all the time – by her mother and her mother's sisters.” ( ).

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That is the main reason why Connie wants to leave with the first person who asks her to do so. From him she feels the attention that likes very much and does not receive from her family members. She does not feel supported by anyone in the family; everyone only criticizes her, tells her that her own sister is much

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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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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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