Marie Mitchell Olesen Urbanski reflects on the parallels between a literary work and biblical suggestions in her essay "Existential Allegory: Joyce Carol Oates "Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?" (Studies in Short Fiction, 1978.) In her criticism, she compares the story of Con...

Joyce Carol Oates has an interesting way of writing, which is displayed in her stories. "Why Don't You Come Live with Me It's Time," and "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" are two stories that share many important similarities and differences. Connie and Clai...

Joyce Carol Oates created a very provocative and interesting character when she created CONNIE in her well-known short story, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Sexual imagery, sexual dreams, innocence and a hormone-driven desire for sexual intercourse – all these elements help Connie s...

Joyce Carol Oates' short narrative entitled, "Life After High School" depicted an uncomfortable friendship between two people finding their way and themselves through high school in the 1950's. The relationship seemed doomed from the start with an awkwardly chubby loner named...

It is no secret that Joyce Carol Oates' short story "Accursed Inhabitants of the House of Bly" is a re-working of Henry James' literary work "The Turn of the Screw". However a ever burning question that becomes evident when reading Joyce's short story is what exact...

Joyce Carol Oates short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" takes up many troubling issues. Connie, the main charcter, who is fifteen exhibits the confusing, often superficial behavior typical of a teenage girl facing the difficult transition from girlhood to womanhood. She is...

American Fantasy 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 ma...

Being a teenager is a difficult period in one's life. A teenager is no longer a child but not yet an adult. This state of turmoil makes the teenager's role in both family and society unclear. Joyce Carol Oates portrays a relatively typical teenage girl as the main character in "Wher...

Where are you going, Where have you been? A Feminist Allegory Biographer Greg Johnson interprets the story "Where are you going, Where have you been?" as a feminist allegory. This critical interpretation is accurate. The story of Connie, an attractive young woman, being enslaved into...

Similar Meanings When looking at two stories, "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor and "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates, many similarities are seen. A possible reason for many of the similarities between the two stories is du...

In the short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?," by Joyce Carol Oates, many literary devices are used to convey the change from childhood to adolescence and sexuality. Throughout this tale, Connie, the main character, goes back and forth between innocence and maturity, showi...

The Transition to Adulthood Most people in society hold a stereotypical conception of most teenagers. Many individuals have the notion that all teenagers act before they really think of the consequences of what they are exactly getting themselves into. They think teenagers are self-centered and...

During the years of adolescence one goes through a time of confusion and curiosity where finding themselves is inevitable. In the tale "Where Are you going, Where Have you Been?", Joyce Carol Oates uses a teenage girl named Connie, to tell a story filled with rebellion and freedom. At this...

We have read or heard many stories throughout our lives. We know that stories can vary in purpose: They can either teach a moral lesson or entertain. Some stories interest us; others do not. In order for a story to be interesting, it must be told in a way that does not bore or confuse the reader....

Terry White introduces her article, "Allegorical Evil, Existentialist Choice in O'Connor, Oates, and Styron" giving the reader the impression that she intends to explain how Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," Joyce Carol Oates's "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" and the camp...

We have all experienced nightmares. Nightmares are very different from the everyday dreams that we have for many reasons. The feeling of utter helplessness is a major characteristic of a nightmare that seems to linger in our minds. No matter how fast you think you can run, how hard you think you ...

Who are we really? The influences that shape us. In the dictionary influence is described as, a power affecting a person, thing, or course of events, especially one that operates without any direct or apparent effort. This definition can directly relate to the Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wild...

Since the early 19th century, American history is laced with the oppression of women and their subsequent fight to reverse it. But was it always that way? Did, in ancient civilizations, women feel the same pang of inequality? Leonard Shlain, in his novel The Alphabet Versus The Goddess, suggests q...

Sympathy For The Devil? The Rolling Stones once sang, "Please to meet you, hope you guess my name, but what's puzzling you is the nature of my game." On a recent trip home from Macon, this song was playing on the radio. I was reminded of the story Where Are You Going, Where Hav...

Is Arnold Friend the Devil in disguise in Joyce Carol Oates' short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" If one were to look at the facts surrounding the actual event this story was based on, any assumption that "Friend" was anything but a man would be thrown out due to logic. However, ...

Chris Roberts 12-7-99 College Writing Ms. Dillon Comparisons of Real and Fiction While reading the book Theft by Joyce Carol Oates I found that often enough or for the whole time I did not think that the story was fiction at all. It drew me into its reality and then gave it an endin...

A famous short story is "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates. This stunning story describes how the seemingly perfect girl, Connie, is terrorized by the most abnormal man, Arnold Friend. Some would argue that he is the devil. Any argument that Arnold Frien...

An Unforgettable Night After reading Joyce Carol Oates story, “ The Night Nurse,” revenge is what is found. This story starts off by a woman by the name of Grace Burkhardt, collapsing at a shopping mall because of a reason that was unknown at the time. She is taken in an ambulance...

When "Where Are You Going, Where have you been?" was written in 1966, it was interpreted many different ways. Many feminist and women's rights groups saw the story as an symbol of violence against women. Others believed it was a demonstration of "pure realism" and the "grotesque." Joyce C...

The Night Nurse Grace has many meanings in the English language today. One of these meanings is to be pardoned from one's actions. In "The Night Nurse," by Joyce Carol Oates, Grace Burkhardt is pardoned many times in her life. She is pardoned from dying, pardoned from her ...