Teenagers are in search of a path that will lead them to a successful future. Others prefer happiness. At some point in life, everyone faces vital decisions that influence the direction our lives take. The search to find ourselves produces the tragic outcomes. Facebook creator, Mark Zuckerberg, once said, " Having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity. " Integrity is the willingness to live by strong moral principles. Even though finding ourselves may hinder with our beliefs and standards, we create another character. In "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? ” by Joyce Carol Oates, Connie's personality is divided into two. The Connie at home is entirely different from the Connie elsewhere. She handles dangerous situations differently, by allowing bad things to occur, oppose to most people who would fight for themselves. Connie's choice of life style and attitude shows her lack of morals.
Connie constantly has conflicts with her family. She is beginning to break away from them. Because the mother is jealous, she likes to put Connie's self esteem down: " Stop gawking at yourself. Who are you? You think you're so pretty? " Her mother always tells her that she should be more like June, her older sister. June has a nine year
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Like most teenagers, Connie loses herself in the music. It can easily change the way she acts, thinks, or feels. Connie's guard goes down since Arnold and she are listening to the same artist, Bobby King. Arnold Friend's appearance was described as how, rock and roll star, Bob Dylan looked in the 1960s. He is described as having shaggy black hair and wearing sunglasses. Bobby King's music is rock and roll. Rock and roll promotes the idea of romance and sex. To lure Connie in, "He spoke in a simple lilting voice, exactly as if he were reciting the words to a song." Arnold used music and lyrical allusions as a part of his