Review Of The Story 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'

The story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, was written by Joyce Carol Oates. The setting of the story takes place in the 1960’s in a suburban type area. The story is about a 15-year old girl named Connie in which she spends most of her time hanging out with friends, meeting boys, and just being lazy. One night, during her time at the drive in restaurant, she encounters a man who she later finds out to be named Arnold Friend. One day, after Connie’s parents left to a family barbeque, Arnold shows up at Connie’s house asking her to join him for a ride. After denying his request, Arnold becomes hostile and threatens to harm her family if she calls the police. Connie attempts to make a call but fails which results in her leaving with Arnold and the story ending. This story is important since it shows how girls need to be more careful and how the minds of people have changed

It actually shows Connie leaving with Arnold and then returning back home. However, in the story, it just cuts out with Connie leaving with Arnold. In the story, Connie is said to be leaving with Arnold when it end with this line, ““My sweet little blue-eyed girl,” he said in a half-sung sigh that had nothing to do with her brown eyes but was taken up just the same by the vast sunlit reaches of the land behind him and on all sides of him—so much land that Connie had never seen before and did not recognize except to know that she was going to it.” (Oates 336,337). In the film, some of this line was actually used in the film, but the story didn’t end unexpectedly like in the story. Instead, the film’s ending actually gives the viewer an ending in which Connie is returned by Arnold and reunites with her mother. This difference actually makes the film much better than the story since it gives the viewer the satisfaction of actually having an ending instead of pondering on the endless