"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" has been interpreted in many different ways since it was written in 1970. The story is based on a beautiful fifteen year old girl that spends her summer vacation listening to music, hanging out with friends, and daydreaming about boys. Joyce Carol Oates portrays the themes of love and lust, through the character of Connie, who confuses lust and obsession with love. She finds out life is a lot more complicated then she thought it would be. The climax of the story begins when Connie is left home alone, and is faced with making a choice that will have an affect on her life forever. This leads all readers to question whether or not Connie opened the screen door because she wanted to escape her life at home and go to a fantasy world, or did Connie give in to the temptation of the devil?
             Connie grew up in a very dysfunctional household that often left her feeling very alone at times. To escape these feelings, Connie spent a lot of her time daydreaming about what the future had in store for her. She imagined what it would be like to have the freedom to talk to boys, and discover what being in love was like. Whether it was real or imagined her involvement with boys was sweet, gentle, and the way it was in movies and in songs". Connie is an innocent naive girl who confuses lust and obsession with her desire to love.
             In the story we are told that Connie's father is an alcoholic, and "was away at work most the time and when he came home he wanted supper and read the newspaper at supper and after supper he went to bed. He didn't bother talking much to them," (Oates 3). Having no relationship or communication with her father caused Connie to feel neglected, and lacking in attention of a man. Although, Connie and her mother communicated with each the relationship they had was no better then the relationship she had with her father. When talking with friends one day Connie tells them that her mother "m...