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Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Character Analysis Essay

698 Words3 Pages

Being born into a patriarchal society as a female means that every woman already has their role decided for the before they can even decide for themselves. In a society that views women as objects that are either domesticated or sexualized, it pits women against each other, forcing them to choose which category they would rather be placed in. This idea is illustrated in short story, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates, where even adolescents aren’t safe from becoming sexualized. By analyzing the relationships Connie has with the individuals in her family and how those bonds shape her values and affect her growth and development as a character, audiences are able to identify the detrimental effects harmful ideas such …show more content…

The beginning of the story illustrates Connie as a shallow and vapid young teen, placing an immense amount of value on her looks and ability to attract the attention of those around her. Near the end of the story, during her encounter with Arnold Friend and his companion, Ellie Oscar, the author expresses Connie’s nervousness by describing that, “her heart was almost too big now for her chest and its pumping made sweat break out all over her” (Oates). Connie is no longer comfortable with the attention and realizes that the looks that she once valued so greatly, likely brought danger to both herself and those around her. The dichotomy between Connie in the beginning of the short story and Connie near the end of the story is subtly foreshadowed when it mentions that, “ everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home” (Oates). By the end of the short story, the audience is able to identify the two new sides of Connie. The first one that cherished her own visual appearance and disregarded consequences and the second one that actually weighed out the results of the choices she made/will

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658 Words | 3 Pages

She does not get affection from her family, and feels isolated from them. Connie first receives affection from Arnold when he asks her “You wanta come for a ride” (Oates 8). No one has ever offered Connie any affection. Her family looks down on her as the disappointing child and she is just a young girl trying to be loved. Arnold asking her to come for a ride and seeking to spend time with her is the attention she is missing in her daily life.

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1553 Words | 7 Pages

An article by Marie Mitchell Olesen Urbanski, “Existential Allegory: Joyce Carol Oates 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’” analyzes this helpless nature of Connie as a result of Arnold’s alluring tactics. However, many readers may indeed question why she reacted in such an incapable and naive manner, resulting ultimately in her abduction. Although her state of shock is sudden, her response is an accurate and natural depiction of the bewildering state she was put in under these tactics. From the start of the story, we get insight into

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1435 Words | 6 Pages

Through these interactions, Oates illustrates how societal norms shape women's perceptions of themselves and their roles within society, ultimately influencing their interactions with men like Arnold. Oates shows how Connie and Arnold's interactions reflect the influence of society, highlighting how cultural values shape their behavior and relationships. Connie's obsession with physical appearance, a trait ingrained in her by societal expectations, is evident throughout the story. Connie’s characterization “stems from a rigid belief in physical beauty” as she’s characterized as a teenager who is looking to look her best and impress everyone around her (Korb). This fixation on appearance is echoed in Connie's thoughts as “she knew she was pretty and that was everything” (Oates 1016).

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842 Words | 4 Pages

Lauren Ziegler Prof. J. Campbell English 111-09 28 February 2018 The Plot Twist Around the Bend* "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" by Joyce Carol Oates and "Encounters with Unexpected Animals" by Bret Anthony Johnston are short stories that describe events where the characters in compromising situations. They showed how one's outlook on life can be altered once a conflict or threat is presented. While both authors appeared to have this in common, their methods allowed for two different approaches. "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" takes a focus on the main protagonist, Connie.

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663 Words | 3 Pages

In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, the author, Joyce Carol Oates, uses a multitude of archetypes. The word choice she uses emphasizes a Coming of Age, The Rebel, and The Bully. The main character, Connie, was a young, lost girl who thought she had everything figured out. Connie suddenly gets a rude awakening and learns that ignorance along with good looks will have its downfalls.

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170 Words | 1 Pages

“Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?”  was written by the author, Joyce Carol Oates, the protagonist in the story is a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl named Connie who feels she can not live up to her mother's expectations and feels that her mother mistreats her. Connie wishes her mom and herself were dead, to end the torment she feels. It seems that Connie doesn't have a fatherly figure in her life, her father works long hours and is barely home, and when he is home he buries his head into the newspaper.

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2169 Words | 9 Pages

She watched herself push the door slowly open as if she were back safe somewhere in the other doorway, watching this body and this head of long hair moving out into the sunlight where Arnold Friend waited” (Oates). This displays the severity of the fear that Connie is facing and how it is physically affecting

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890 Words | 4 Pages

Arnold Friend was there to take Connie away; away from her childhood and home, which never quite felt like home until her fantasy world deteriorated and reality set it. The next moment is pivotal, this is when Connie forgets her hedonism and becomes something of much more substance. Before Connie studies Arnold Friend’s abnormal personality and erratic behavior she is fascinated by him and even worries that she is ill prepared for this

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321 Words | 2 Pages

Joyce Carol Oates uses physical characterization to foreshadow early on what truly is going to happen to Connie. Arnold is hiding things about his physical appearance. No matter what Connie says or does, Arnold keeps talking, and yet he reveals nothing about himself. He never physically asks Connie to join him, but his words have the same force and pull as the actions he only threatens to take. "Soon

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694 Words | 3 Pages

In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, by Joyce Carol Oates, Connie, the protagonist, is a 15-year-old girl living in the suburbs, who conveys the qualities of a typical teenager: she listens to music, goes out with her friends, is obsessed about her looks, likes getting attention from boys and is intrigued with her sexuality. On one typical night out with her friends she notices a mysterious guy making suggestive gestures to her in the parking lot of a drive-in restaurant, but she remains unfazed and leaves with a guy named Eddie. Then one Sunday afternoon, her family leaves to go to an aunt’s barbecue leaving her home alone, but soon after the mysterious guy pulls up in a gold colored car in her driveway with his friend. He proceeds

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1778 Words | 8 Pages

As Gretchen Schulz and R.J.R. Rockwood put it, “Toward Arnold friend and what he represents, Connie is ambivalent: she is both fascinated and frightened. She is after all, at that confusing age when girls feels, thinks, and acts both like a child, put off by a possible lover, and like a woman, attracted to him”(577). In other words, Connie’s actions are led by her shallow emotions and desires. Her intuition warns

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1047 Words | 5 Pages

In the short story titled “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”, Joyce Carol Oates introduces us to Connie, a narcissistic, rebellious, and naïve fifteen-year-old girl coming into a world of sexuality and adulthood she thinks she’s ready for. Unknown by her parents, she regularly spends the evenings exploring her individuality and freedom by flirting with teenage boys at her local diner. One evening, she catches the attention of a creepy and strange boy named Arnold Friend, who later shows up at her house unannounced with the intention to take her away. Needless to say, any person reading this will not be prepared to witness the ending of the story, or of a young woman’s loss of innocence and life. Although “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” has been interpreted many ways by scholars and writers alike, I believe the interpretation that best fits this narrative is Connie’s search for independence that eventually leads to a brutal outcome.

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441 Words | 2 Pages

In this story, Oates describes Connie character as a pretty young girl with “long dark blond hair that drew anyone’s eye to it.” (86) Because Connie led two different lives, she would dress and look different at home, then she would with

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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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657 Words | 3 Pages

The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates can be interpreted in a multitude of ways due to its ambiguity. A psychological lens, however, provides the most accurate viewpoint for analyzing the story as it clarifies certain obscure scenes and actions of Connie. One psychological issue of Connie that is easily inferred from the beginning of the story is her insecurity about her looks. Connie constantly worries about the way that she looks and takes any opportunity to do so, “craning her neck to glance into mirrors or checking other people's faces to make sure her own was all right” (1).

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