Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Connie's Relationship

The Parent-Child relationship in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been, written by Joyce Carol Oates and in In the Gloaming, written by Alice Elliott Dark are two different demonstrations of relationships that parents and children have with one another. In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been the Parent-Child Relationship was strained and distant in In the Gloaming, the Parent-Child Relationship was close and open.

In Where Have You Been, Where Are You Going? Connie and her mother were always having conflicts with each other. Connie was a very beautiful girl and Connie thought her mother was jealous of her beauty. Her mother was probably not jealous of Connie but concerned and thought she would attract the wrong attention. Connie’s mom constantly made remarks
Connie’s mother often ridiculed Connie when Connie looked in the mirror by saying, “Stop gawking at yourself., who do you think you are? You think you are so pretty.” Connie would become so angry with her mother, she even wished her mother dead. Connie never liked to speak to her mother and did not want to be around her mother. In the presence of her mother Connie could not be herself so when she was away from her mother she would act and dress inappropriate for a 15 year old girl. Connie’s motivation for dressing provocatively was to attract attention from boys. Unbeknownst to Connie her mother was right, looking and dressing inappropriate would eventually cause Connie extreme danger.

In the story In the Gloaming the Parent-Child Relationship was very different. Instead of being strained and distant the relationship are strong and loving. Laird’s mother was a