An Analysis Of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

"The place where you came from ain't there anymore, and where you had in mind to go is cancelled out. This place you are now—inside your daddy's house—is nothing but a cardboard box I can knock down any time. You know that and always did know it. You hear me?" (p. 136).

This line of text from the story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates gives a brief overview into the life of Connie and Arnold. A charming yet mysterious man named Arnold Friend preys on a young girls gift of beauty, her feelings of seclusion and her desires. This passage highlights the moral and psychological issues young girls face.

First, Connie is a fifteen-year-old girl and like most fifteen-year-old girls, she is constantly obsessing over her good looks and comparing herself to others. She knows she is blessed with good looks and Oates signifies this by saying, “She knew she was pretty and

She feels like she must fill the void her father left in her life due to him never being there. “Their father was away at work most of the time and when he came home he wanted supper and after supper he went to bed” (126). Her father did not fulfill the role of a strong male figure in her life so she is looking elsewhere. If Connie’s father had shown her the love she craved, then she might not have fallen into Arnolds trap. Arnold plays off the void in her life by convincing her he will love her. “I'll have my arms tight around you so you won't need to try to get away and I'll show you what love is like, what it does” (133). He tells her he can save her from the boring, dejected life she is currently living in and that with him, nothing will ever be boring. Arnold tells Connie “your daddy’s house is nothing but a cardboard box I can knock down anytime” (136). He knows that Connie’s relationship with her dad is dull, and barren just like a cardboard box, and he will break it down to save