Joyce Carol Oates's Short Story 'Where Are You Going'

Teenage Years are Hell

Becoming a teenager is a difficult experience for everyone. Feelings transform, strong emotions develop, and bodies change faster than we can keep up with. Teenage years are full of confusion, heartbreak, and anger. Every single person has been through this transition, and Connie in Joyce Carol Oates’s short story “Where Are You Going,” is no exception. Connie struggles with ignorant and absent parents, and an older sister who she is constantly compared to. She also falls into the teenage rebellion stereotype by going out to meet boys with her friends. However, Connie’s coming of age is complicated by the appearance of a man named Arnold Friend. Arnold complicates Connie’s already confusing life and turns it into a …show more content…
“June did this, June did that, she saved money and helped clean the house and cooked and Connie couldn't do a thing, her mind was all filled with trashy daydreams” (Oates). Connie is constantly compared to her older sister June, and her thoughts are treated as garbage. Connie’s mother is the main offender in this. "Why don't you keep your room clean like your sister? How've you got your hair fixed—what the hell stinks? Hair spray? You don't see your sister using that junk" (Oates). Connie’s father is largely absent in her life, leaving her without a positive male role model in her life and at the mercy of her nagging mother. “He didn't bother talking much to them, but around his bent head Connie's mother kept picking at her until Connie wished her mother was dead and she herself was dead and it was all over” (Oates). Connie herself is described as two-faced. “Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and …show more content…
One of the first things that Arnold does that hints at his evil nature is make an ‘X’ in the air in front of Connie. “My sign.” And he drew an X in the air, leaning out toward her” (Oates). In some religions and practices, an X is symbolic of the devil. This could also be seen as Arnold marking Connie as his next victim (Marrs). Another incriminating thing that Arnold does is that he doesn’t enter Connie’s house unless she invites him in by picking up the telephone. "Honey," he said, talking right through her voice, "honey, I’m not coming in there but you are coming out here. You know why?" "Soon as you touch the phone I don't need to keep my promise and can come inside. You won't want that." "I ain't made plans for coming in that house where I don't belong but just for you to come out to me, the way you should. Don't you know who I am?" (Oates). This is common lore often connected with vampires, but also applies to demons. In order for a demon to enter your house, you have to directly call for them, seek them out, or allow them in. It has to be a conscious choice ("Demonology 101"). Arnold also exhibits supernatural abilities by being able to see what Connie’s family is doing even though they’re away at the barbeque. “Aunt Tillie's. Right now they're uh—they're drinking. Sitting around," he said vaguely, squinting as if he were staring all the way to town and over to