Analysis of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”
Hurst 1 Allison Hurst Professor Ben Mayo English Comp II 30 April 2011 Analysis of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? ” by Joyce Carol Oates In 1966, Joyce Carol Oates published her short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? ”. Oates was inspired to write this story after reading about a serial killer that was referred to as “The Pied Piper of Tucson”. Oates was disturbed by the number of teenagers that this killer was able to persuade to help him and keep his secrets (Oates 1). Oates uses irony, imagery, and symbolism to support her theme of evil in this short story.
Oates starts off by introducing the story’s 15 year old protagonist, Connie. Connie is symbolic of innocence and good. However, Connie has two sides. At home, she acts a particular way and when she is away from her family, she acts another. Connie is in a rush to grow up, like many teenagers. Part of the apprehension in the story is the reader’s realization “that there must be thousands of Connie’s” in the world (Wegs 1). Unfortunately for Connie, her desire to grow up too fast along with her naivety allows her to seal her own fate with evil.
Connie’s friend’s father drops them off at the mall, though they do not intend to stay at the mall after they are dropped off. Their plan is to go across the street to the drive-in where the older kids hang out. The diner is used as symbolism for a church or “sacred building” that was there to give the kids the “haven…[and] blessings they yearned for” (Oates 470). Oates uses imagery to give the diner a sense of evil by describing it as “fly-infested”, which could make the reader think of a decomposing corpse (Oates 470). Oates uses grotesque or “realistic allegory” between good and evil throughout the story (Oates 1).
Hurst 2 Arnold Friend, the antagonist, is introduced to us at the diner. Arnold Friend symbolizes the devil or the evil in this story. He watches Connie as she is leaving with another boy. Connie glances back at him and sees him wag his finger at her and say “Gonna get you, baby” (Oates 471). As Connie examines Arnold more closely, she realizes that he is not what he seems. She notices that he is wearing make-up, and his hair looks like a wig. Oates describes Arnold with a “nose long and hawk-like, sniffing as if she were a treat he was going to gobble up” (Oates 475).
This symbolizes a vulture circling a dead carcass. Another symbolism of evil is that Arnold tells Connie that he will not come in her house. He has come to take Connie away but “he may not cross a threshold uninvited” (Wegs 2). Arnold threatens Connie by telling her that if she does not come outside then he will wait till her family gets home “then they’re all going to get it” (Oates 481). Arnold ultimately lures Connie out by promising that her family will be unharmed if she gives herself to him (Oates 1).
We do not know how Connie sacrifices herself. As Oates states in her article, we only know “that she is generous enough to make it”. Connie starts out in the story as someone that is self-absorbed, concerned for no one but herself. Arnold Friend is really the same way. He tells her that he saw her “that night and thought, that’s the one” (Oates 480). In spite of the words he uses, the reader knows that Arnold does not have any true feelings for Connie because he says “My sweet little blue-eyed girl” (Oates 483).
Arnold is oblivious to the fact that Connie has brown eyes. “In Arnold’s view, Connie’s personal identity is totally unimportant” (Wegs 3). At the end, Connie leaves with Arnold, yet her fate is unknown. Does he kill her? Is he just there to have his way with her sexually because he thinks that is what she wants? Oates does not give a concrete ending to the story, thus allowing the reader to come to their own Hurst 3 conclusion. However, Oates’ theme is present in whichever ending is chosen. Evil has persuaded good to concede.
The title itself is ironic. Connie is allowed to go out with her girlfriends without her own parents asking exactly where she is going or where she has been when she returns home. Her friend’s dad does not ask these questions either (Oates 470). There is a sense of “moral indifference of the entire adult society” portrayed in this story (Wegs 1). Wegs points out, that since her parents do not bother to keep tabs on her that Connie is left defenseless with the temptations presented from evil. Parents should take the time to ask their children here they are going, who they are going to be with, and what are they going to do. Evil is rampant in the world, and probably more so today than it was in the 60’s when this story was written. Perhaps by writing this story, Oates intended to send a message to parents and children alike. Parents, know what your children are doing; be concerned about their well-being, and let them know you care. Children, talk to your parents, listen to them, and always present yourself with respect so that others will respect you in return. Hurst 4 Works Cited Oates, Joyce Carol. ’Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? ’ and Smooth Talk: Short Story Into Film. ” New York Times 23 Mar. 1986. Web. 1 May 2011. Oates, Joyce Carol. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? ”. Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, Tenth Edition. Arp, Thomas R. , and Greg Johnson. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009. 469-83. Print. Wegs, Joyce M. “’Don’t You Know Who I Am? ’: The Grotesque in Oates’ ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? ’”. The Journal of Narrative Technique, Vol. 5, No. 1, January, 1975, pp. 66-72.
