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Joyce Carol Oates's 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'

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Joyce Carol Oates's 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'
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"Where Are You Going, Where have You Been"

Vanity can be exposed as one 's greatest weakness. "Where Are You Going, Where have You Been", a short story written by Joyce Carol Oates, describes Connie 's misconception of beauty as her only value, and also the ways in which Arnold Friend, a potential rapist and murderer, manipulates and takes advantage of Connie 's vanity. Connie is a fifteen year old girl who knows the extent to which her beauty can be used to her advantage. Connie "knew she was pretty and that was everything." However, beauty causes Connie to become vain, and thus gives Connie the misconception that she is more powerful than the boys that are attracted to her. This proves that Connie believes her beauty allows her to transcend above other people, especially boys. As a result, although her beauteous physique can be …show more content…
Works Cited

Oates, Joyce Carol. "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?". Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing, Compact. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner., and Stephen R. Mandell.. New York: Heinle, 2006. 579-591

Quirk, Tom. "A SOURCE FOR 'WHERE ARE YOU GOING, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? '." Studies in Short Fiction 18.4 (Fall 1981): 413. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Santa Monica College Library, Santa Monica, CA. 4 Apr. 2008 http://libdb.smc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=7133354&site=ehost-live

Hurley, C. Harold. "CRACKING THE SECRET CODE IN OATES 'S 'WHERE ARE YOU GOING, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? '." Studies in Short Fiction 24.1 (Winter 1987): 62. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Santa Monica College Library, Santa Monica, CA. 4 Apr. 2008
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