At first glance‚ the story “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates seems like a regular story where a girl just has home problems like every other teenager. However‚ by looking more into the story you can see that the locations of where Connie is at‚ mean something different. In my opinion‚ I believe that the setting plays a significant role in the way Connie alternates her personality around her family and friends. When she is out with friends and not at home with family
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Loving‚ Superficial‚ Intimate Teens "Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates catapults its reader into a seductive‚ fifteen-year-old mindset‚ embodied by the main character‚ the rebellious Connie. Connie‚ much like Sammy‚ the main character from "A & P" by John Updike‚ is on the prowl for companionship and sex. Their unsuccessful search for intimacy‚ appreciation for family life‚ and superficial attitudes are what bring them together as similar characters but also what
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In Joyce Carol Oates’ "Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?" the author goes into depth of the transition from being a carefree‚ innocent child to the complexity and uncertainty of the future when one becomes an adult. The message begins even before the story itself actually does. The title illustrates the passage of time in life such as the phrase "where are you going" refers to the question of what direction does one have for his own life. "Where have you been?" is a question which involves
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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
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Joyce Carol Oates’ story‚ “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been?” is initially about a teen (Connie) who is going through the beginning phases of teen life‚ playing into the stereotype of an image-conscious teen. She is recalcitrant with her parents‚ sneaks off to start hanging out with boys‚ et cetera. About a third of the way through the story‚ a man that she had seen earlier at the diner shows up to take her out for a drive‚ and the situation goes downhill as she asks him more and more questions
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Connie in “Where are you going‚ Where have you been”‚ has a lot of underlying mental issues. Joyce Carol Oates created the perfect character to receive psychoanalytic criticism. The relationships Connie forms with her family‚ friends‚ and outsiders are all affected by Connie’s issues which come to consume her future. One of Connie’s biggest faults was the recognition of her beauty. She “knew she was pretty and that was everything” (Oates 1). This constant checking of herself in mirrors to make
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In the 1960s‚ when Oates wrote “Where Are You Going . . . ‚” a social revolution was happening. American women were asserting their rights and independence from men‚ and they were claiming their sexuality in a way they had never done before. One frequently discussed topic was adolescence and the struggles and anxieties that many young girls endured as they lost their sexual innocence and became adult women. Feeling undervalued in their homes and relationships with men‚ women questioned their role
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In the short story “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates there is bad parenting and it costs Connie at the end. Throughout the entire story there is little or no parenting‚ or sometimes there is a little parenting but it is not very good parenting. For example‚ “their father was away at work most of the time and when he came home‚ he wanted supper and he read the newspaper at supper and after supper he went to bed. He didn’t bother talking much to them” (Oates 1). So even
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Where are you going‚ where have you been? In the short story “Where Are You going? Where Have You Been?”‚ by Joyce Carol Oates. The use of the symbolism of Connie’s clothes‚ her fascination with her beauty‚ Arnold Friend’s car and Arnold Friend himself help to understand the story’s theme of evil and manipulation. The story‚ fill with underlying tones of evil. In this short story‚ Oates write about 15-year-old Connie‚ the protagonist of the story‚ a pretty girl who is a little too into her own
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advance our mentality. In Joyce Carol Oates’ "Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been." Connie‚ a young teen is faced with a life changing experience‚ forcing her to transform from a young teen to a young adult. In John Updike’s "A & P" Sammy chooses to put himself in a tight situation only to loose his job‚ trying to be heroic to three young girls and failed‚ as a result of his child-like decision. "Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been" is an exceptional example of a coming-of-age
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