Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Analysis
Based on the story “Where have you been, where are you going” by Joyce Carol Oates Connie was a young girl, who wanted to grow up way to fast. She wants everyone to believe that she is very experienced in being an adult. In the story Connie went to the movies with her friends and met up with a boy named Eddie. Eddie and Connie went to the diner and then to an alley. But as Connie was walking out of the movie theater, Connie’s eye wandered over the people and things in the car.
The story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates, is a one where the idea of how girl who struggles with wanting to be a mature woman, faces her demon full form. The protagonist of the story is Connie, a 15-year-old rebel girl, obsessed with her look; and through fault of her own, meets the antithesis of herself, the antagonist of the story, Arnold Friend. Connie seeks to be a mature adult and desires an emancipation from her family. Seeing herself as mature woman through the desires of her attraction by other boys and men, as well as her mother. Its this same desire which acts as the main fault for her character.
Carol Joyce Oates’ “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?” presents how falling into temptation leads to giving up control and innocence. Though her mother is unapproving of her actions, Connie spends her time seeking attention from male strangers. Home alone, Connie is approached by a compelling creature who convinces her to leave her life and join him on his unknown journey. Through disapproving her family, having multiple appearances, listening to music, and her desperation to receive attention from boys, Connie gives up control of herself losing the purity of adolescents and contributing to her detrimental fate. It is imperative that one should not be controlled because of a desire to impress others.
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.
In Joyce Carol Oates’ short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” she creates a dynamic between Connie and her parents to explore the concept of parental guidance. This story informs readers of the importance of parental guidance to children to prepare them for the outside world. According to “The Parent Gap,” Christopher Dickey argues that “parenting is once again understood—and this should come as no surprise—to be a key element determining the future success or failure of children” (Gale 1), which exemplifies the importance of parental guidance in children’s lives. In her short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Oates develops Connie as a rebellious teenager to contrast Connie’s need for her parents to raise her
In Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, Connie is a fifteen-year-old girl, who does not necessarily get along with her family. During the week, she often times goes to a shopping plaza with some of her friends. However, they sneak across the highway to go to a popular diner where the older crowd hangs out at. At home, Connie is often times arguing with her family. One day her family is invited to her aunt's barbecue but Connie refuses to go.
Joyce Carol Oates’s character Connie in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” discovers at a young age that even if one is not trying to draw attention to themselves, it can be given, and is not always a good thing to receive. Interpretations of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” vary depending on
The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates is about a teenage girl named Connie who is in the mist of her adolescent rebellion. She wants to prove her maturity to others and herself. In the story, Oates describes that Connie always lets her mind flow freely in between her daydream. She even creates and keeps dreaming about her ideal male figure in her mind to make her happy and satisfied. Oates allows the reader to step into Connie’s “dream world” through the appearance of Arnold Friend.
The transition to becoming an adult is a somewhat magical experience in many ways. An awakening of the senses, the ability to detect and verbalize deeper emotions and the new and exciting responsibilities of the adult world are just some of the new experiences individuals journey through while growing older. However, as we examine two short stories, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? By Joyce Carol Oates, and The Man Who Was Almost a Man by Richard Wright, we see that perhaps this fragile stage of life isn't always meant to be taken lightly. The main characters of these stories, Connie and Dave, are examples of how exactly the transition to adulthood and maturity should not be welcomed before its time, and the dangers of attempting to grow up too fast can bring.
In the story “Where are you going, Where have you been?” Joyce Carol Oates depicts the turbulent sixties, a time of change and rebellious character towards the reformable youth. Throughout this era, many teenagers willed to rebel against their parents and the ethics and values they upheld since their youth. Among the many disruptions towards the societal flow, the most prominent and influential were the new generation’s erotic choice of music. The parent disapproval of the new music genre only caused more attraction to it, causing the children to rebel from their elders morality.
Adolescence is regarded by many as the single most important stage in a person’s life: the step between childhood and adulthood. As a result of the psychological and physiological developments that occur during such age, adolescence has been thoroughly depicted in works of literature. For instance, in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates the protagonist, Connie, is forced to give up on her innocence and youthful approach to life as she is forced to become an adult. In this 1966 short story, Connie’s confrontation with Arnold proves to be life-changing as it causes her to become more alert and observant, teaches her about the perverted nature of adults, and allows her to embrace the elements of childhood one last time.
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” is about a teenager named Connie who is trying to come to terms with her transformation from childhood to adulthood. Through this process, Connie attempts to act older than she is an tries to gain the attention of boys. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” Joyce Oates portrays Connie as obsessed with men to symbolize how one’s obsession and narcissistic attitude can cause danger to seem surreal. In the short story, Carol Oates describes Connie as having two different personalities, one being a narcissistic attitude.
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.
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.
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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