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

When it comes to teens and younger children it is important to keep in mind that they are new to the world. They will make mistakes without a doubt due to their ignorance towards reality and the type of people that dwell within it. Without the proper set of guidelines tied in through life lessons the child in concern can be greatly damaged in the process. Even in the case of full grown adults, without proper rules everything falls apart. Joyce Carol Oates tackles this need for government in her realistic allegory short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Through the story, the life of Connie is revealed to be a rebellious fifteen year old who was warped by the people and world around her. Oates conveys the life of this troubled …show more content…
Instead of guiding and teaching Connie to not be vain and not to act out, she insults her. Due to Connie growing up with her critical mother, it has caused her perception of life to be corrupted by negativity. She is not there to guide her and provide a good example; she is there to pull her down which in turn makes Connie lose respect for her mother and act out. Furthermore, Connie’s mother does not only criticize her, she often at times compares Connie to her sister June. “Why don’t you keep your room clean like your sister?” she boasts about how June helps clean the house, cooks, and saves money then complains that Connie could not do a thing. Instead of focusing on Connie as an individual, she wants to force Connie into this cookie cut out of June. The mother cannot be an example by herself so she uses June as the example for what Connie should be like. Constantly comparing a child to the other is an impractical way to get them to behave. In fact, most of the times this tactic just makes things worst. Humans are very protective of their individuality, no person is the