Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Arnold Friend Character Analysis

When going out with friends, she would leave the place where she would be dropped off at and go hang out with boys. Connie loved the attention she received from older guys that she would sometimes daydream about boys, like told in this line “thinking and dreaming about the boys she met” (2).

In the story the girls go to a restaurant to listen to music; they refer to this restaurant as sacred. “Glow of slow-pulsed joy that seemed to rise mysteriously out of the music itself” (in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been.”). The music in the story functions as a sort of contemporary culture. The ideas and pictures that Connie created about love throughout the story were all derived from the songs she listened to. This is important to the story because it’s how Arnold Friend exploits Connie.

For example, Connie listened to the music that made everything even good, “ the music was always in the background like music at a church service, it was something to depend upon”. And, it is music that lures Connie, just as many teens of Dylan 's era were lured by his lyrics and music, although Ms. Oates does not perceive Dylan 's as subversive or dangerous. Interestingly, however, to deceive Connie, Arnold Friend mimics Dylan in the

In “Where Are You Going, Where Have you Been?”, Connie, is fifteen years old and is just like any other teenage girl. She daydreams, loves music, and likes to flirt. She is one of the main characters and has a personality that sets her apart from others in the story. In her mind she is the center of everything and she the only one that understands anything going on, “Connie would raise her eyebrows at these familiar complaints and look right through her mother, into a shadowy vision of herself as she was right at that moment: she knew she was pretty and that was everything. ”(Oates 233)

In the story, Joyce Carol Oates introduces the main character, Connie, by giving the reader contextual information on her life. Connie was the typical rebel teenager. She lied to her parents, snuck off with the boys, went out late at night, was mischievous, and had a dysfunctional relationship with her family. The story motivated the production of the film, “Smooth Talk”. Both of these pieces had the same crucial ideas, varied in the family relations, information concerning Arnold Friend and his obsession of Connie, and resolutions to the ambiguous ending.

Joyce Carol Oates states, "She was fifteen and she had a quick, nervous giggling habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors or checking other people’s faces to make sure her own was all right" (Oates #). This description shows the reader how Connie only cares about her physical appearance. An appearance that is imposed on the reader on who Connie is from the beginning of the story. The reader is never given a true insight into Connie's true personality other than her physical appearance and action. This statement also sets the tone to be ominous due to the lack of connection between the reader and the author.

While the woman was managing the home, the man was maneuvering through the workforce. The 1950’s saw a steadily increasing ratio between blue-collar to white-collar workers. These men were suits and fedoras, worked in dimly lit offices, and absent mindedly working to achieve success. Sloan Wilson’s 1955 bestselling novel, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, captures the image perfectly. Most of these grey flannel suited men worked for large corporations.

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates is an important story for people to read because it shows the importance of consent. In the story we read about a fifteen year old named Connie. She enjoys hanging out with her friends and doing things on her own just like any other adolescent. One evening Connie is hanging out with her friends and she catches the eye of an older man. This man’s name is Arnold Friend, he is very controlling and manipulative.

In the coming of age story “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?” Joyce Carol Oates uses symbolism, conflict, and the third person to foreshadow fifteen-year-old Connie’s unfortunate, yet untimely fate. While one may think that the conflict stems from Connie’s promiscuity, it is clear to see her promiscuity is only a result to a much bigger conflict, her mother’s constant nagging and disapproval, alongside the lack of attention from her father. the author paints a vivid picture of what happens when a fifteen-year-old girl such as Connie goes elsewhere to find to find the love, attention, and approval that she lacks at home. All which is vital for her growth and wellbeing as a person.

When Connie realizes that Arnold is much older than she thought, she is taken over by fear of what’s going to happen. This situation is much different than anything else she has ever

Oates illustrates the female main character as attention seeking. The main character does not act her age, she tries to be mature. When the fiend comes around she realizes she is not as mature as she believed. When she figures out no one is going to be able to save her, she realizes how much of a child she actually is. Oates shows how Connie has two sides of herself.

Several individuals throughout history have shown an abnormal attraction towards psychopaths. Psychopaths commit crucial acts such as rape, murder, or armed robbery. There have been several cases where the psychopaths have been caught and placed in prison but remain to have fans and groupies outside of the bars. What is the reason behind this unusual attractiveness? In “Where are you going, where have you been”, Joyce Carol Oates introduces her readers to Connie, an average 15 year old, who later meets Arnold Friend.

In the story it states, “She spoke sullenly, careful to show no interest or pleasure” which shows how she realized she didn’t like the attention when it was from the wrong person. Arnold Friend used this to his advantage to take control of Connie. Women are drawn to a man’s attention because it makes them feel better about

Throughout the story, fifteen year old Connie tries to portray herself as a grown woman. She is constantly concerned with the way she looks, and seems to have gained a habit of “craning her neck to glance into mirrors or checks other people’s faces to make sure her own was all right” (176). Connie realizes that by doing her hair and dressing a certain way gains her ability to attract other boys. It is here that Connie discovers her sex appeal and then creates a rather bad attitude which involves not listening to her parents. She attempts to discover new territories and searches a much different side of herself along with it, but little does she know that her search of her sexuality puts her at an unsafe disadvantage.

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” is about a teenager named Connie who is trying to come to terms with her transformation from childhood to adulthood. Through this process, Connie attempts to act older than she is an tries to gain the attention of boys. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” Joyce Oates portrays Connie as obsessed with men to symbolize how one’s obsession and narcissistic attitude can cause danger to seem surreal. In the short story, Carol Oates describes Connie as having two different personalities, one being a narcissistic attitude.