These views are shown in two short stories that tell the tale of teenagers who make very crucial, life changing decisions without really considering the consequences of their actions. In "A and P," written by John Updike, a nineteen year old male named of Sammy quits his job to impress three girls in bathing suits, to later realize that he does not know what is in store for him in the future. In "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" written by Joyce Carol Oates, fifteen year old Connie is taken away her home and her

Joyce Carol Oates uses very unique writing techniques in "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" The story is written in limited point of view in the third person. The reader is allowed to hear what Connie is feeling, making her the focal point and heroine of the story. The author begins the story with Connie's life to establish a world we can grow familiar with so we will later feel the experience of the foundation dropping out. Connie is portrayed a s a "typical" teenager. Connie is an attractive fifteen-year-old girl, easily recognized by the reader as the epitome of a teenager. Her world is full of rock and roll music, friends, fun, and fantasy. She spends the summer going to town with friends, listening to music, and meeting with boys. She and her friends share similar interests in boys and fun, and "would lean together and whisper and laugh secretly" when they gathered together (381). Like many teens, Connie seemingly lives two lives: one that her family sees, and another that she projects to her peers. "Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home" (380). She seems to at constant odds with her family, not seeming to have any emotional connection to them observable to the reader. She lies to her mother and sister about her friends and where she goes at night. However, later in the story, Oates suddenly projects an image of terror when Arnold Friend arrives at Connie's doorstep. To the reader, Arnold seems to be a sort of villain. Connie has met her match. Connie is taken by Arnold at the end of the story, an ending that surprises the reader and Connie.

In the story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" Connie makes a very important decision very quickly that will crucially affect the rest of her life. She is often compared to her older sister, June, who in her mother's perspective is the perfect daughter. Connie feels left with the impression that her mother thinks that "June did this, June did that... and Connie could not do a thing" (380). Connie does not want to live with her oppressive mother any longer. She does not want to be anything like her family. She has to live a sort of double life away from home; she, like her jersey sweater "look[s] one way when she [is] at home and another way when she [is] away from home" (308). Her only refuge from her confining home life is nights out with her best friends, eating and spending time flirting with young boys her age. This is the only time she really feels accepted. She does not enjoy her home life, and wishes she could be something else; she wishes to get away

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Approximate Word count = 1766
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)