Where are You Going, Where Have You Been

A detailed Summary of Where are You Going, Where Have You Been


Joyce Carol Oates's "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" depicts a girl named Connie caught between two worlds: adolescence and adulthood. Like most teenagers, as Connie explores her surroundings, numerous temptations confront her. Connie's mother and her own intuition attempt to protect her from the wickedness in society, but sometimes the allure of these enticements "cry 'to one' like a fire in the sun"(Dylan 613). Joyce Carol Oates understands the powerful effect that boys can have on an adolescent girl, and through the use of symbols she displays the potentially dangerous consequences that may result if one succumbs to their desires.

One of these symbols is suggested by colors, especially light and dark. Light imagery suggests insight, while on the other hand darkness implies evil. When Arnold calls upon Connie that Sunday, she is wearing a bright green blouse. Green traditionally implies fertility and youthful innocence, but as time progresses during Arnold's visit, Connie's blouse becomes darkened with sweat. Arnold's influence evokes a change in Connie and she begins to lose her ignorance of the evil that is present in society. Joyce M. Wegs describes Arnold's appearance as a "grotesque portrait of a p


sychopathic killer"(616). His name appears on his car in "tarlike black letters" and both boys wear sunglasses as if they have an aversion for sunlight (583). Just as his eyes are masked, Arnold's car is also masked with a new paint job. But even the bright gold color can only manage to "catch the sunlight opaquely,"(582) as if what is lying beneath keeps it

a name that hints at the word "evil." Like the snake in the Garden of Eden, Arnold preys upon a female. The snake could not force Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, just as Arnold

Connie's adolescent immaturity is shown through her inability to successfully assess the situation she faces. If Connie heeded her misgivings earlier, then she would not have had to submit to Arnold. A more mature and experienced person would trust their apprehensions. By the end of the story, Connie finally does realize the danger that confronts her, but by then it is too late and all she is left with are the sick fantasies of a twisted mind.

The house itself is a symbol. The house represents familiarity, and thus crossing the threshold of the door would signify an emergence from the cocoon of adolescent innocence. As Wegs points out, when Connie co

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Approximate Word count = 811
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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