Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Summary

In the short story, “Where are You Going, Where have You Been?,” Joyce Carol Oates provides an account of a typical fifteen-year-old girl whose days are spent disregarding her parents, hanging out with her friends, and daydreaming about boys. That is, until she meets Arnold Friend. The story takes an unexpected turn soon after the ironically named character is introduced. Eventually, Arnold Friend’s cunning deception leads to Connie’s unanticipated demise. It is no secret that most teenage girls desire attention especially that of an older guy, which is something Arnold Friend seeks to take advantage of. While Connie is skeptical of Arnold’s intent, his sense of familiarity draws her to him and he is able to persuade her to let her guard down. Oates conveys this when she writes, “Connie liked the way he was dressed, which was the way all of them dressed…” (4) Another example of how Oates indicates that Arnold’s interest in Connie excites her is when she writes how Connie “remembered him even better…and her cheeks warmed…--how she must have looked to him. And he had remembered her.” (4) At first, Arnold tries to charm Connie in an attempt to get her to leave with him, but she reluctantly declines the invitation.

Suddenly, Oates allows Arnold’s malicious side to peak through ever so slightly after Connie tells him that he and is friend better leave, and Arnold replies “We ain’t leaving until you come with us.” (6) In the beginning of the story, the author writes that Connie has two different sides and now she is showing that Arnold has two different ones as well. At this point, Arnold begins to threaten to come in the house if Connie tries to call for help. He even indicates that if she doesn’t go with him before her family returns he will harm them. (9) Now, his intentions are abundantly apparent, and it is evident that he is not the slightly-older teenage boy that he claimed to have