Compare And Contrast Where Are You Going And Where Have You Been

In Joyce Carol Oates's short story, “Where are you going, and where have you been?”, there is a character named Connie. Connie is a fifteen-year-old girl who believes she is one of the most beautiful girls. She is a rebellious teen who argues with her mother. The relationship between her and her mother is very rocky. Connie’s mother wants her to be more like her sister, June. Connie perceives her older sister as the typical boring older sibling. One flaw I see in her problem with her sister is Connie thinks she is better than her sister. She believes the reason she and her mother do not get along is that Connie is more beautiful than June. There are few things Connie truly cares about, such as hanging out with her friends, listening to music,

She refused to follow the instructions of her mothers and of others who may have wanted to help her. An example of her rebellious behavior is when her mother wanted Connie to join them for the barbeque but, Connie refused to go. The text says whenever her parents talked about the barbeque, she said no and that she was not going, “rolling her eyes to let her mother know just what she thought of it”(2). Her attitude shows throughout the entire essay. Connie’s rebellious attitude and behavior are caused by the adoration of her looks. While she is out with her friends, she does things she knows her parents would not permit her to do. Connie and her friend sometimes “did go shopping or to a movie, but sometimes they went across the highway, ducking fast across the busy road, to a drive-in restaurant where older kids hung out.”(1). They did whatever they felt they should do to keep their social career at an all-time high. They tried to make sure that the guys knew they were “rebels” and that they looked hot while doing these rebellious actions. Another reason I believe Connie to be so rebellious is because of her mother’s disapproval and disrespect towards Connie. Her mother would say, "Stop gawking at yourself. Who are you? You think you're so pretty?"(1) Connie’s mother is trying to make her daughter more humble but, in the wrong way. She may not realize that the words she is using could potentially harm her daughter’s mental

In the end, this leads her to be abducted by Arnold. She was very gullible and unaware of the situation because of the attention surrounding her. Connie was so invested in gaining male attention that she read over the red flags. At first, Connie thought these were young men who drove up to her house. Connie describes how attractive Arnold is, such as how his jeans fit, the way his smile makes her feel, and the way he talks. She does this until she finally realizes that he is a danger to her. This shows where her priorities were at. She put boys above her own safety. Connie allows herself to be taken over by her sexual callings instead of following what her gut may be trying to tell her. She loved the attention Arnold was giving her. What is most surprising is Connie did not find it extremely startling that there was a strange man who randomly showed up at her house. Although she found it weird and surprising, she was instigating the situation and pursuing Arnold. If she had not realized Arnold was older than he claimed to be, she would have gotten into his car without hesitation. In the end, Connie tried to protect her family. She showed she cared about their safety. Arnold told Connie, "You don't want them to get hurt," Arnold Friend went on. "Now, get up, honey. Get up all by yourself."(9) Although her careless actions got her to this point, she would not let this man hurt her