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Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Meaning

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“Where are you going, where have you been” is a short story written by Joyce Carol Oates. Oates gained inspiration for one of the main characters from a real serial killer she had read about in the newspaper. Bob Dylan’s song, “It’s all over now, Baby blue” was another source of inspiration for Oates. This story focuses on Connie, a self-absorbed, beautiful 15-year-old who often fought with her mother and loved to daydream. Connie loved to hang out with her friends and meet older boys. On a date, she noticed a guy in a gold convertible. The same guy, Arnold Friend and his friend, Ellie, showed up at her house while her family was gone to a barbeque. Arnold is trying to convince Connie to take a ride with him but Connie is fearful of his intentions. Through manipulation and threats, he finally lured the young girl to leave with him. In “Where are you going, where have you been”, Joyce Carol Oates used inspiration from a song and serial killer to write an incredible short story packed with themes and symbolism. Oates said she got inspiration to write this story from reading an article about Charles Schmid. Charles Schmid, also known as “The Pied Piper of Tucson”, was a serial killer that admitted to murdering 3 teenage girls. Schmid bragged about the murders and eventually got caught. According to an article online, “In 1966, a jury found Schmid guilty and a judge sentenced him to death. Arizona abolished the …show more content…

The links between song, “It’s all over now, baby blue” and the story are very interesting. The serial killer, Charles Schmid inspired the character, Arnold Friend. Arnold Friend is also used as a symbol for the devil throughout the story. In the story, there were many indications that represented him as the devil. Along with symbolism, Oates used themes in this story to emphasize

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“Smooth Talk” better known has “Where are you Going, Where Have you Been” is a short story written by author Joyce Carol Oates. Main character Connie gets herself in a complicated predicament amongst two teenage boys. Throughout the story the reader can infer all Connie’s true motives and intentions of her actions. Although this story is told through third person, the dialogue between Connie and the mystery boy are very much amusing. Joyce left readers ponder on the man’s true intentions when he visits Connie one Sunday afternoon.

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807 Words | 4 Pages

Finally, Oates uses irony when Connie tells Arnold that he is "crazy"(72) and he responds by saying that she is the one who is "crazy"(72). This is ironic because it is clear to the reader that Arnold is the one who is truly unstable. Overall, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" is a work of fiction that employs several different rhetorical devices to create a haunting

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610 Words | 3 Pages

“She thought, I’m not going to see my mother again. She thought, I’m not going to sleep in my bed again”. Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been is a short store by Carol Oates. In the story, Connie was a 15 year old girl, and lived she out in a rural area. She lived with her parents, and her sister June.

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1230 Words | 5 Pages

The exposition of a story marks its beginning and introduces the reader to the narrative (Norton 89). Baldwin begins his story by introducing us to the narrator, who is learning of Sonny's arrest after being caught up in a heroin bust. On the other hand, the exposition of "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" introduces us to Connie, the main character. She is a self-absorbed fifteen-year-old girl that is obsessed with her beauty.

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1190 Words | 5 Pages

In Joyce Carol Oates fictional short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” the majority of the story lies beneath the surface. More specifically than just the story, you realize that there is more to the character Arnold Friend than what may appear. The author has always remained silent and ambiguous about the real meaning of Arnold Friend’s true nature and she leaves room for the readers to make their own interpretation of him. Readers can analyze Arnold Friend and see him as the devil, he could just be the personification of popular music imagined by Connie in a dream, but Arnold Friend could also be the result of drug use.

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1717 Words | 7 Pages

Taking everything into account, the story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been is a reflection of the murder of three young women. This story ties back to Charles Schmid’s murder case, with Connie’s age matching up with Schmid’s last victim, Allen Rowe. The ages of both men were almost the same, and both had the same intentions to physically use these girls, and then to murder them. Even though Charles was using money to lure his victims, Arnold used his physical appearance and his words to play mind games with his

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744 Words | 3 Pages

Connie’s Parents, neglectful and somewhat abusive throughout the story, by means of their apathy and resentful badgering drive her to seek escape away from home. This evidenced in Christina M. Gillis’s ““Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” : Seduction, Space, And A Fictional Mode” by the quote “Connie is then, constantly at odds with her family, ever looking forward to her excursions to the drive-in...” As a result of the constant parental neglect and verbal abuse Connie feels unsafe unloved and unwelcome at home forcing her to seek refuge and some semblance of being loved in her outings with friends to the mall, drive-in, and other local “hangouts”. Connie herself, capitulating to the pressures

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694 Words | 3 Pages

In Joyce Carol Oates’s short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” the main protagonist finds herself in a very hostile situation. With an all most fateful encounter with a man known as Arnold Friend. Forcing her to choose whether to run off with him or taking her by force. This man known as Arnold Friend to the reader comes off as almost a demon. A person who uses many temptations, word play, and threats to take advantage of the young protagonist Connie.

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599 Words | 3 Pages

Paul Rider Robert Baird ENGL-1020-P34 1/31/2023 Formalist Analysis The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, presents how weak family bonds can lead to the loss of innocence in youth through Connie, a young, pretty teen with a poor relationship with her mother and an absent father figure, and Arnold Friend, a man posing as a teen to lure Connie into his arms. Joyce Carol Oates used foreshadowing, symbols, and a clever narrative structure to present this theme. This story is set in the 1960s in America and follows Connie in the third person through her escape from family life and the loss of innocence.

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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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1629 Words | 7 Pages

Arnold Friend: Inside the Mind of a Psychopath Joyce Carol Oates’ short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is based on the year-long reign of the 1960s serial killer, the “Pied Piper of Tuscon,” Charles Howard Schmid. Oates’ story tells the horrid tale of an egocentric fifteen-year-old, Connie, who is mentally manipulated and later killed by charismatic Arnold Friend. Oates was inspired to write the short story after reading an article about Schmid’s killings in Life magazine (Borsun). Charles Schmid and Arnold Friend share eerily similar characteristics, including a drive to alter their appearance and play mind games with their victims.

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984 Words | 4 Pages

“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.

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854 Words | 4 Pages

Arnold Friend’s Biblical Allusions In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, Joyce Carol Oates tells a story of a young, innocent teenage girl, Connie who enjoys listening to music and begins exploring her sexuality and being with boys “the way it was in the movies and promised in songs” (Oates 198). In fact she catches the attention of Arnold Friend one night while at the mall meeting up with a boy. Not knowing he would appear in her life, Arnold strangely shows up at her house assuming they made plans to get together. His character is seen as the devil.

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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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