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...

"Where are you going, where have you been?" is a short story written by Joyce Carols Oates, which describes a strange man named Arnold Friend who is obsessed over a young teenager named Connie. Arnold Friend is much older than Connie and cannot be said to be like a child, yet he lures Conn...

Joyce Carol Oates presents a description of an adolescent girl's disaffection with her family and rape by Arnold Friend in the short story "Where are You Going, Where Have You Been?" Throughout the story the reader watches Connie, the central character, reject her family, friends and self in an a...

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...

Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" is a short story that amplifies the importance of knowing where you are and what you are doing, especially your children. In this story the main character, Connie, is a 15-year-old girl who falls victim to a rape and murder by Arnold ...

Perhaps one of the great hallmarks of a great work of fiction is its ability to appear to have been written for the age during which it is being read, regardless of how far back in time it was written. In other words, Joyce Carol Oates' story might strike a contemporary adolescent or young...

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....

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...

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...

Only Skin Deep In today's society, value always seems to be placed upon certain external qualities such as beauty and riches. Unfortunately, one's inner beauty is often overlooked. In the short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" reflections see...

The Meanings They Carry William Timothy O'Brien has written many stories during his lifetime. The first of which he wrote when he was nine years old. "Timmy of the Little League" was an autobiography of a youngster involved in sports (Myers, 143). As Tim was growing up, he took a break ...