“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates is inspired by the events of the Arizona murders in the 1960s. This short story revolves around Connie who obsesses about her looks and develops a split personality in order to capture male attention. Connie resents her mother, has sibling rivalries with her sister, and her father’s indifference to her makes her life at home miserable. The absence of family in her life leads Connie to misuse her freedom which ultimately makes her an easy prey for the villain, Arnold Friend. The Merriam-Webster defines a parent as “a person who brings up and cares for another”. Protecting and loving your children is the number one quality of being a parent. Connie’s family resembles an ordinary nuclear family with a hard-working father, a stay-at-home mother, and a responsible older sister. But the characteristics of her family …show more content…
She becomes rebellious day by day. She ignores her mother’s criticisms and starts exploring her sexuality by flirting with boys. Because of her oblivious ways, she fails to recognize trouble when Arnold Friend shows up outside her house. Parents are the ones who should warn their child about the dangers in society and protect them from harm. Connie’s fate proves that her mother has terribly failed as a parent. June also shows an important part in influencing Connie, who desires to be free and joyful, unlike her elder sister. She idealizes male attention and that is exactly what she gets from Arnold. Although a minor character in the story, Connie’s father plays an enormous role in shaping her personality. Her father’s absence impacts her ability to trust and relate to male figures. A daughter requires her father to be the standard in order to judge men. For Connie, there is no one. Therefore, she is not aware of the fatal environment that she is exposed to and nor is her