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Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Summary

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“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” is an intriguing short story by Joyce Carol Oates that leaves readers to delve into their own interpretations of what truly happened in the story. As a matter of fact, the last section of Oates’ story is what has caused the most discussion as Connie’s fate is at the mercy of a sinister man known as Arnold Friend. Furthermore, the fact that the story ends without a clear explanation of who Friend was only adds to the mystery as the reader does not know what exactly happened to Connie or if she was only having a dream. This paper will decipher the author’s message, analyze the characters of Arnold Friend and Ellie, and deduce Connie’s fate. Oates’s main message in her short story is exactly pinpointed …show more content…

Although his character is static and does not play a big role, it is important to reconsider his place in the story. Associate Professor Anthony Ellis from Western Michigan University brings out the argument, which describes Ellie’s role in the story as very crucial compared to what scholars have thought before (Ellis 57). In fact, he states that Ellie is also the boy named Eddie. In the story, Eddie enters the restaurant and jerks around in “semicircles” turning back looking at the place to find someone interesting (Oates 143). Ellis believes that Eddie’s actions were not because of sexual desire but rather to “prevent Connie from looking at him to closely and directly, especially there inside the “bright-lit” restaurant” (Ellis 56). Afterwards, he invites Connie to a meal, and they spend three hours together. However, Connie apparently never really pays attention to Eddie as she is more interested on her surroundings and daydreams. This is extremely important to Anthony’s argument as it would suggest that Eddie may have found out information about Connie that he later told Friend. One great example of information is that her parents and sister were going to a barbecue on the next day, which she did not want to

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Eddie travels to heaven after his death and meets people who have impacted his life in some way. The first person Eddie encounters in the Blue Man. The Blue Man informs Eddie that he will be meeting five people whose lives were indirectly or directly affected by Eddie. As the Blue Man spoke to Eddie it was revealed that Eddie was indirectly involved with his death. When Eddie was a child he and his brother, Joe, and him were playing near a street.

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By the end of the book, Eddie is almost a different person from whom he is at the start. First of all, Eddie shows maturity through his relationship with Travis Canary. Eddie meets and befriends Travis, a Yellow who is escaping Reboot, on the train ride to East Carmine. Later on in the novel, Travis runs away during night, at first Eddie goes after him, worrying about what might happen to him since no one is supposed to be able to see in the dark.

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Analysis of Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Joyce Carol Oates writes a gripping tale of terror about a young girl named Connie, who is faced with the dark and twisted hands of fate. Connie is a young teen, like many girls, self-absorbed and seeks self-value in the eyes of others. In her outings with friends, she comes across a man by the name of Arnold Friend. Oates lets the reader know immediately that there is something disturbing about this character.

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The Devil can be beautiful, after all, he was God’s favorite. Looks can be immensely deceiving, even the Bible has many verses about how not everything is really what it seems to be, such as, 1 John 4:1, Matthew 24:4, 2 Corinthians 11:14, and the ever so famous, Genesis 3:4. A warning that can be seen in both, “Young Goodman Brown,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, is that not everything that is charming is impeachable. “No wonder, for even Satan masquerades himself as an angel of light,” 2 Corinthians 11: 14.

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1181 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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481 Words | 2 Pages

The third person eddie meets in heaven is ruby. Ruby helps him relieve the anger he feels toward his father. His father was a drunk.his father was violent and hurt eddie in many ways.she teaches him to forgive his father for the way that he hurt him when he was young.a quote from this is “In order to move on, you must understand why you felt what you did and why you no longer need to feel it.” means to just forget what happened and forgive. The fourth person eddie meets in heaven is Marguerite,

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He is able to revisit moments from his childhood, his time in the war, and even his time as an amusement park maintenance worker. Each of these moments provides a new perspective on his life and the people in it. For example, Eddie

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830 Words | 4 Pages

Eddie has never met anyone who is so indifferent towards the rules and the word of Munsel. It is unthinkable to show such disrespect- especially to someone up-Spectrum. In addition, the use of a threat of physical violence and one of the “Very Bad Words” is highly demerritable. When Eddie meets Jane he is flabbergasted by her

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Joyce Carol Oates’ story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” includes several aspects that could easily be analyzed and interpreted in different ways. One of the most important and perhaps more obvious aspects is Oates’ character Connie. Connie’s home life, safe place, and epiphany moment are all key components to understanding the story and its meaning. Connie’s home life is the first angle that is important to the story. Fifteen- year- old Connie is a rebellious teen who does not get along with her family.

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Joyce Carol Oates dedicated “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” to Bob Dylan, because Carol has claimed that the story was influenced by Dylan’s haunting song “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.” The story contains a reflection of the song’s lyrics, such as the following: “The vagabond who’s rapping at your door / Is standing in the clothes that you once wore / Strike another match, go start anew / And it’s all over now, Baby Blue.” Dylan himself is mirrored in the figure of Arnold Friend. Dylan and Arnold are the same but more significant is how each man is perceived.

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Finally, Petty’s description of Eddie’s rise and fall is realistic. He left home after high school. A lot of kids want to leave home after high school. He met people that became friends.

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548 Words | 3 Pages

In the book, after Eddie’s wife, Marguerite, died, he felt lonely (when he met her in heaven, Eddie talked about her leaving too soon and how life has to end but love doesn’t). Eddie thought he was lonely, and that he should have moved away and chased his dream of doing something else. In the eyes of other people, Eddie did great things, like made sure kids had a good time and that all the rides were safe. So even though Eddie thought he was alone, he really wasn’t, as his coworkers and the kids at the park were always happy to see him. This sentence is meaningful to me and people in real life because people everywhere are sad and they think they’re alone, when in reality they aren’t.

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1428 Words | 6 Pages

Home is where the heart is, but what if home is no longer safe? Joyce Carol Oates explores this concept in her 1966 short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”. On surface level, this story appears to discuss a rebellious young girl named Connie and her confrontation with Arnold Friend, a stalker. The ending leaves the reader to assume that Arnold Friend plans to sexually assault the young girl.

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804 Words | 4 Pages

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.

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700 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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