Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” fictionalizes a true story that many would undoubtedly roll his or her eyes at and claim that he or she would never be so ignorant, naïve, and just plain foolish as Connie, the 15-year-old main character. Everyone would like to say that he or she would be clever enough to find a way out of Connie’s predicament without agreeing to go along with Arnold Friend, even at the age of 15, but this is highly unlikely. Given the circumstances of Connie’s situation, her ultimate decision to leave the house and get in Arnold’s car, while admittedly shortsighted, was brave and entirely understandable given the circumstances, even if the end result was her death. Connie’s age left her especially
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This is the time in one’s life where it’s not unusual to have constant conflict with one’s parents, teachers, and any other authority figure trying to enforce rules. It isn’t necessarily the teenager’s fault, however, as these are the years where developing one’s self-identity starts and it’s inevitable that this would cause some disagreements. Connie and her mother are clearly no exception to this as her “mother kept picking at her until Connie wished her mother was dead and she herself was dead and it was all over” (Oates 722). Partially as a result of the parental rifts, especially considering the time this story was written and the time the true story it was based upon took place, naivety is a huge aspect of adolescence. This is illustrated quite clearly as Connie considers how she feels about Arnold from her porch: “She couldn’t decide if she liked him or if he was just a jerk” (Oates 725). At this point, Connie is failing to recognize any of the potential danger of a strange man in her driveway who somehow found out where she lives and only considering him from a romantic, teenage-crush perspective. Additionally, adolescence is a time where complex problem solving and logical thinking has not yet developed. At the age of 15, Connie lacks the development of the parts of the brain that deal with these important decision making aspects of life. Given this information, it’s not difficult to comprehend why Connie would be swayed by Arnold’s
This is the time in one’s life where it’s not unusual to have constant conflict with one’s parents, teachers, and any other authority figure trying to enforce rules. It isn’t necessarily the teenager’s fault, however, as these are the years where developing one’s self-identity starts and it’s inevitable that this would cause some disagreements. Connie and her mother are clearly no exception to this as her “mother kept picking at her until Connie wished her mother was dead and she herself was dead and it was all over” (Oates 722). Partially as a result of the parental rifts, especially considering the time this story was written and the time the true story it was based upon took place, naivety is a huge aspect of adolescence. This is illustrated quite clearly as Connie considers how she feels about Arnold from her porch: “She couldn’t decide if she liked him or if he was just a jerk” (Oates 725). At this point, Connie is failing to recognize any of the potential danger of a strange man in her driveway who somehow found out where she lives and only considering him from a romantic, teenage-crush perspective. Additionally, adolescence is a time where complex problem solving and logical thinking has not yet developed. At the age of 15, Connie lacks the development of the parts of the brain that deal with these important decision making aspects of life. Given this information, it’s not difficult to comprehend why Connie would be swayed by Arnold’s