Where are you going?
Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" represents the stark realities of real life invading the American Dream. Connie, the victim, lives the ideal life of a rebellious teen. She cruises the town, goes on dates, and listens to music that many adults find offensive. Connie's world is perfect, until the evil Arnold Friend pulls up in her driveway on a lonely Sunday afternoon. The events leading up to Connie's abduction play an important role in creating the meaning of "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" In the beginning of the story, Connie's mother says, "Stop gawking at yourself, who are you? You think you're so pretty?" Connie response was to "raise her eyebrows at these familiar complaints and look right through her mother, into a shadowy vision of herself as she was right at that moment: she knew she was pretty and that was everything" (Oates, 163). Joyce Carol Oates uses this scene to imply that in Connie's mind, she sees herself as beautiful, and this implies Connie's innocence in a dangerous world. In "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" , Oates' strongest asset is her ability to manipulate realistic elements to provide insight into the characters' personalit
Arnold Friend represents life rather than the devil, in that he is friendly yet evil and is good-looking but a fake (Friedman, 12). Connie dreamily wants a guy who embodies the image of a rock-star, but her dreams are shattered by the reality of evil in the form of Arnold Friend. Works CitedFriedman, Ellen G. She makes it clear that being blind to these evils does not make us immune to them, and that in blindness there is danger. Upon closer examination it becomes quite obvious Arnold Friend represents more than just a single person's fantasy; he represents the ever-present worldly temptations that humans face. The "ranch" house they live in also is the focus of the dream, for owning property is one of the principles that Americans first fought for in order to be independent. This oddly reflects the dictum that we should return to the land at our deaths (Quirk).
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Acceptance Essays
