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

To begin with, symbolism played a huge role in helping Joyce Carol Oates get her purpose of writing “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” out to the reader. The character’s name Connie was shown throughout the passage to represent the word ‘concubine’, which is defined as a mistress. One way of supporting this claim is when Oates announced that “Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home…” (pg 1). She could be called a concubine for her rebellious activities and actions such as sneaking out at night and enjoying the attention of other boys drooling over her. This could also be why Arnold Friend went after her in the story. The music, even though mentioned a few times throughout the piece, is another sign of symbolism …show more content…
Since it took place in the 60’s many revolutions and movements, including the evolution of music, were extremely important to the plot. Oates herself expressed that “...the music was always in the background like music in a church service; it was something to depend upon” (pg 2). Another revolution that goes along well with the playing of the music is The Sexual Revolution. Oates herself explained in the story that Connie spent her time around her house dreaming about boys that she had met on her nights out. However, “...all the boys fell back and dissolved into a single face that was not even a face but an idea, a feeling, mixed up with the urgent insistent pounding of the music…” (pg 2). This feeling about the boys described as an insistent pounding can be symbolism of the music having an association with sexual intercourse. The music in the 60’s was more expressive and open about all forms of love that many teenagers of the time period indulged in. This can also count as a distraction to Connie throughout her acts in the passage. Lastly, the whole article consisted of frequent numbers that stood out to the