“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is a short story written by Joyce Carol Oates, which was published in 1938 and later adapted into a film directed by Joyce Chopra in 1985. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, Oates explores adulthood from a teenager’s perspective. In the story, Connie, the female protagonist, lives with dual personality (one side which she only shows for her family and one side which she reveals to her friends). Connie, who has conflicts with her family, works hard to present her appearance of being an adult through her clothing, makeup, hairstyle, and behaviors that attract boy’s attention in the search for her independence. One day at the diner, Connie meets her father's friend named Arnold Fiend,
Film Review Essay - “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” and Smooth Talk “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” written by Joyce Carol Oates. The setting was in a suburban area in the 1960’s, America. The plot of the short story surrounds a teenage girl named Connie. Connie was going around the block experiencing the “Glories” of what a maturing teen girl could do, while at the same time having a poor relationship with her family.
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” is about a teenager named Connie who is trying to come to terms with her transformation from childhood to adulthood. Through this process, Connie attempts to act older than she is an tries to gain the attention of boys. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” Joyce Oates portrays Connie as obsessed with men to symbolize how one’s obsession and narcissistic attitude can cause danger to seem surreal. In the short story, Carol Oates describes Connie as having two different personalities, one being a narcissistic attitude.
Based on the story “Where have you been, where are you going” by Joyce Carol Oates Connie was a young girl, who wanted to grow up way to fast. She wants everyone to believe that she is very experienced in being an adult. In the story Connie went to the movies with her friends and met up with a boy named Eddie. Eddie and Connie went to the diner and then to an alley. But as Connie was walking out of the movie theater, Connie’s eye wandered over the people and things in the car.
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.
The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” was written by the author Joyce Carol Oates in 1966. Oates describes her idea for the story after briefly reading an article about the real-life murderer, Charles Schmid, who lured and murdered three teenage girls (Kirszner & Mandell 523). She uses this idea to create the character, Arnold Friend, and his victim, Connie. Connie is a typical teenage girl portrayed as naïve and self-centered. The short story appears realistic, given that the conflict in the story is based off of real events.
If you are old enough to remember, you can think back to the memories of when you are a kid and understand the memories as a child are the best memories that you have in your life; yet eventually you mature into ann adult. Like the book, Catcher in the Rye, the short story Where Are You Going Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oats is about Connie, an adolescent girl, wanting to stay in her child-like life and not mature into a adult. Fortunately, Connie has some help coming into the adult world with the manifestation of a person named Arnold Friend and Ellie.
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.
The story “Where Are You Going, Where have you been” is about Connie a girl who lives in the U.S. She goes out with her friends and lives an ordinary life. Her mother is alway comparing her to her sister. Her parents are don’t chaperone the youth in the evenings. She falls into the hands of Arnold Friend, who tries to abduct her.
Where are you going, Where have you been? by Joyce Carol Oates is a story about a teenage girl who wants to grow up too fast. It shows how the growing gap between a parent and their teenage child. The movie Smooth Talk shows a different but interesting perspective to Oates’s story. In this essay the similarities and differences between the movie and the story will be evaluated and explained to see if the movie is accurate to the stories main points.
Smooth Talk is slightly based on Joyce Carol Oates’ story titled “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” but isn’t as straightforward and frankly gruesome. The story focuses on the 1960’s suburbia from a teenagers perspective. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” focuses on topics relevant in the 1960’s including the Sexual Revolution. Oates’ focuses on major issues and topics such as feminism, sexual freedom, and adolescent sexuality.
The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates is about a teenage girl named Connie who is in the mist of her adolescent rebellion. She wants to prove her maturity to others and herself. In the story, Oates describes that Connie always lets her mind flow freely in between her daydream. She even creates and keeps dreaming about her ideal male figure in her mind to make her happy and satisfied. Oates allows the reader to step into Connie’s “dream world” through the appearance of Arnold Friend.
The Stranger In the beginning of “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been” Joyce Carol Oates reminds the reader of how carefree it is to be a teenager without any responsibility. One can quickly see that Connie is like many teenagers of today behaving to much like a grown woman. Connie appears to be growing up to fast before our eyes. She is in a stage of teenage rebellion, acting on things too fast.
Where are you going, where have you been? By Joyce Carol Oates. Connie a fifteen years old girl who her life is defined by her relationship to boys or men. She let romance fills her thoughts and her reunions with other girls are simply a pretext for approaching boys. She praises beauty above all, she knew she was pretty and that was everything that she needed to make it out in life.
He calls out to his wife to resist and the scene vanishes. After going home, he loses faith in his religion and his wife after seeing the scene. “Where are You Going, How Have You Been” is about Connie, a pretty fifteen year old who is against her “plain and chunky” sister and her mother who had “once been pretty” (Oates, 1). However, what her mother does not know is that she spends her free time picking up boys at a Big Boy restaurant. One day, while there, she catches the eye of a stranger.
