Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Summary

He was a murderer but the girls loved him. "Pied Piper of Tucson" inspired Oates to write the short story "where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", and shows this by creating the character Arnold Friend. She uses certain word choice, narrative structure and characterization to create tension, mystery and surprise in the story.

Joyce Carol Oates uses certain word choice in "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" to create tension. In the story, there is a lot of dialogue, and what the characters say to each other creates a lot of tension. When Arnold friend tells Connie that he loves her and he wants to "Come Inside her." the word choice makes Connie very uncomfortable which adds tension. Also, Connie makes it very obvious that she feels unsafe around him as she says "You're crazy" multiple times as he starts to app road her. These words make you worry for her safety and once again adds tension.

In the beginning, Oates creates a false sense of security. She is at home and Connie seems safe, this is what makes what happens next unexpected. After this, a strange man rolls up to Connie's home, and Connie is only worried about how she looks, not her safety. This makes you wonder what is going to happen, and if their is a reason she is scared. Then, the pace of the story completely changes when Arnold Friend starts to approach Connie and say things that make her feel uneasy. Oates uses ambiguity, which makes you not fully understand what's happening in the story. Which adds mystery. This is how Oates uses text structure to create tension, mystery and surprise in the