Analyzing The Short Story 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'

Reflections That Show the Hidden Truth
The use of reflections is common in pieces of literature so that authors can incorporate hidden meaning behind simple actions in their works. For example the eyes are commonly known as the windows to the soul making the simple action of looking into another’s eyes much more complicated in a piece of literature(Schwartz). “Of course, the meaning of the words is that by looking into the eyes of a person one can see their hidden emotions and attitudes and thoughts” (Schwartz). Also when the author makes a point to mention in detail items that have reflective surfaces they are inferring that there is a deeper meaning behind the reflection. In the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce
The first impression that is given of Connie after reading the beginning of the story quickly is that she is a shallow, conceited, and confident 15 year old teenager. However upon closer inspection and by using the many references to reflection in the short story they reveal Connie’s true personality and her hidden insecurities. Near the beginning Connie is constantly looking at her reflection in the windshields and at the faces of those around her so that she can see their reactions to her appearance (Oates 2). Connie is looking at her reflection to see if anything is out of place in her appearance since she last looked at herself. This behavior can be considered a nervous habit that reveals Connie’s uncertainty in her appearance and the lack of confidence in her self-image which does not fit with the first impression of her that the audience has. When Connie is checking the faces of those around her to see their reactions it is because through their eyes Connie receives an understanding of their opinion of her (Schwartz). Thus if she sees appreciation and desire in their eyes Connie gains confirmation that other people find her attractive allowing her to gain temporary confidence in her appearance. Another interesting misconception regarding Connie is the amount of experience she has with the opposite sex, more specifically being the object of a
More specifically the author’s use of reflections to describe the inner workings of Connie’s mind as well as the foreshadowing and buildup of the breaking of Connie’s mind. The reflections throughout the short story reveal Connie’s true personality and how her mind actually works. They show how first impressions are not always true and that even people who seem to have no depth can surprise another with more depth to them than first believed. The reflections that describe the foreshadowing and buildup of the conclusion of Connie’s mind breaking primarily centers around Arnold. Also the reflections in the short story describes the foreshadowing and buildup of the breaking of Connie’s mind. These reflections reveal that even though Arnold won the final battle he did not fully win the war. In fact a complete win for Arnold would be possessing Connie completely in both mind and body. That however did not happen instead Connie, even with her mind broken, resisted Arnold and separated her mind or soul from her body. This final act allowed Connie to have the last laugh and guaranteed that Arnold would never obtain all of what he desired. Without the help of the reflections and their abstract symbolism the short story would not have the same impact. The small nuances that the reflections represent would be