Summary Of 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'

I. SUBJECT “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates centers around the rebellious teenager Connie and the events that transpire one fateful summer night. One day fifteen-year-old Connie refuses to go to a family barbeque. She thus left home alone, where she finds herself at peace until a suspicious gold convertible shows up in her driveway.
She sees a man outside this car, and though she tries to show no interest, she goes outside to her driveway. The man attempts to lure Connie into taking a ride with him. Despite feeling scared and uncomfortable with the situation, she finds herself curious about the identity of this man. He reveals himself to be Arnold Friend and relays personal details about her life, but does not tell her how he knows this information. As their conversation progresses, Arnold begins to embody a predator, which causes Connie to feel paranoid. She runs inside her house and threatens to call the police, but in response, Arnold threatens to hurt Connie and her family if she does. This leaves Connie too frightened to call the police, and despite being she is scared, she gets into Arnold’s car and they drive off.
II. THEME In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Oates demonstrates that despite an individual’s attempt to gain control in their life, this control can be

In the beginning of the story the reader feels sympathy for Connie and her broken relationship with her mother. Later in the plot Arnold is able to use the fear that Connie feels in order to take over her life. She is unable to do anything to stop him, so she accepts her doom and drives away with him. Connie’s inability to avoid her tragic fate causes the reader to feel pity for her. Oates leaves her fate ambiguous, allowing the reader to conjure up his or her own ending to this story. This increases the sympathy for Connie, for the reader will imagine the worse case