Adolescent Desires in Where Are You Going, Where Have You...

Connie is like the average American girl who has just hit adolescence. She cant seem to walk past a mirror without examining herself in it first, she is at war with her mother, and thinks about boys round-the-clock. It is a hot summer in the sixties and many teens have little to do so they spend their time out and about at the local shops. The high temperatures send Connie and her friends to do the same. One night while in the street a random man makes a comment towards Connie and she thinks nothing of it. Days later, while alone in her family home the same man shows up at her door. He asks her to join him but she refuses. After a few brash threats she complies and joins the strange man for a ride in his gold car. In the short story, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by author Joyce Carol Oates the protagonist Connie is conflicted by her desires, adolescent females from all decades can relate to the desires synonymous with adulthood. In the present day many adolescence fall victim when experiencing adolescent desires for attention, some excitement, and the ideas of freedom. When Connie first opens her front door to the familiar stranger it seems innocentÍ ¾ a man pursuing his crush. After a few minutes of chatting Connie realizes that the stranger, named Arnold Friend, is much older than her. Arnold use the fact that she is young to manipulate her, and he â€Å"insinuates himself into her thinking, attempting to persuade her that hes her lover.†. He is trying to beShow MoreRelated Critical Analysis of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?857 Words   |  4 PagesIn Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? the author, Joyce Carol Oates, essentially asserts that the nuances of ones personality are not generated from within, but rather shaped by external circumstances. This is an argument whose justification is abundantly clear in the inner conflict of Connie, the protagonist of the book. The source of that struggle is her unstable relationship with her family, which ultimately results in her identity conflict. As one who always been deprivedRead MoreFantasy Vs. Reality Where are you going, Where have you been Essay1205 Words   |  5 Pages Fantasy versus Reality in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates has a constant theme of reality and fantasy running parallel for 15 year old Connie. This short story begins with a description of Connie’s vain personality. The narrator describes her as pretty and self-centered (Oates 421). To emphasize her selfishness, Connie is contrasted with her sister, June, who is chubby, plain, and well-behaved. Connie’s mother alwaysRead MoreWhere Are You Going, Where Have You Been?1021 Words   |  5 PagesWhere Are You Going, Where Have You Been? By Joyce Carol Oates A short story titled Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? tells a tale of an adolescent girl who suffers consequences of growing up in the unsupportive environment and the society preoccupied by the media. It is considered to be the most famous work of Joyce Carol Oates, an American writer, the winner of many significant literary awards and a two- time candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature. The story was firstRead More`` Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?1447 Words   |  6 PagesImmaturity is a term most commonly associated with adolescence. As a young adolescent, high school is the center of the world and it is difficult to see beyond that. Social status is vital to Connie, the lead character in â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?,† written by Joyce Carol Oats. School is her chance to be who she does not get to be at home. Like Connie, many other adolescents try to act older than they really are. Teenagers are especially prone to this be cause their brains are notRead MoreAnalysis Of The Novel An Ounce Of Cure 911 Words   |  4 PagesIdentified, 1986. Print. â€Å"An Ounce of Cure† depicts the challenges of being a young girl, narrated by an unnamed female perspective, taken place in the 1960’s. The main character’s primary conflicts revolve around the battle of inner emotions and desires to be anything but average. The protagonist, which is the young girl in this story, faces challenges while trying to deal with the ending of an overly intensified relationship. It wasn’t until after she had attempted suicide, and had fallen underRead MoreWhere Are You Going? Where Have You Been?1466 Words   |  6 Pages In 1966, Joyce carol oates wrote a short story called â€Å"Where are you going? Where have you been?†. The story is about a young girl name connie who is very beautiful, and because of this her mother hates her. Connie is a troubled teen who finds herself the center a man, Arnold Friend. He first meets her when she went to a drive in restaurant with her friends. On sunday arnold came to her house an d tried to get her to take a ride with him. As she became scared and tried to get him to go away, heRead MoreWhere Are You Going? Where Have You Been?2044 Words   |  9 Pagesstory â€Å"Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?† both characters, Connie and Arnold, suffer from having dual identities. Connie is an individual who acts completely different outside her home, where she tries to portray an image of being sexually appealing. However, she is the complete opposite within her home, where she hides her sexuality and acts more like the adolescent she really is. Arnold is a mature man, something Connie is looking for in life and this intrigues her. Both characters have troubleRead MoreI Know You Want It1865 Words   |  8 PagesIsabella Salas-Allende Professor Vines FWS: Short Stories 11/8/15 Blurred Lines I know you want it. I know you want it. I know you what it†¦ My back was pressed against the wall, partly because I couldn’t stand up straight on my own. You re a good girl†¦ The obnoxious music penetrated deep past my ear drum and pumped through me. The stench of sweat and stale foamy beer consumed the air. Blackness engulfed me and all the other one hundred clammy bodies in the room. Their erratic body movements wereRead MoreFailed Mother-Child Relationships in Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake2805 Words   |  12 Pagesand taking care of her husband (79). Jimmy quickly realizes thathe must bend to his mother’s moods and learns to find ways of getting her attention.More than anything, he seeks to get any reaction out of her, even if it is negative.Jimmy’s common adolescent attention-getting behavior underscores his mother’sneglectful parenting style, eliciting readers’ sympathy for Jimmy. Jimmy mourns his mother throughout the rest of the novel. At first, his feelingsconfuse him because his mother was not typicallyRead MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 Pagesmultiple study paths, to self-assessment, to a wealth of interactive visual and audio resources, WileyPLUS gives you everything you need to personalize the teaching and learning experience.  » F i n d o u t h ow t o M A K E I T YO U R S  » www.wileyplus.com ALL THE HELP, RESOURCES, AND PERSONAL SUPPORT YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS NEED! 2-Minute Tutorials and all of the resources you your students need to get started www.wileyplus.com/firstday Student support from an experienced student user