Joyce Carol Oates 'Short Story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been'

Joyce Carol Oates short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” follows Connie, a young woman seeking to find attention from teenage boys. This mindset soon leads her to an encounter with Arnold, a man with a big ego looking to woo Connie into his arms. While each character has their own motives, they actually are both quite similar in what they are looking for. Connie’s seeking attention and acceptance from others to build her up, and Arnold is looking to show others and himself that he’s the “man” by catching any girl that comes his way. Both have a longing to prove something to themselves or others, and this attitude leads them both to an unfit ending. At the beginning of the story, it’s plain to see that Connie loves to look at …show more content…
He arrives at Connie’s house unexpectedly and uninvited with his friend Eddie: “His sideburns gave him a fierce, embarrassed look, but so far he hadn 't even bothered to glance at her. Both boys wore sunglasses. The driver 's glasses were metallic and mirrored everything in miniature.” It’s plain to see how desperate Arnold is to make himself look impressive in front of his friend and Connie. He doesn’t even bother to glance at Connie, acting as if he were too preoccupied to notice her. Plus the way that they are both dressed gives off the “bad boy” look they desperately want. With their tacky metallic shades and awkward sideburns, it’s plain to see he is trying too hard to be someone he’s not. It becomes obvious to see that Arnold is most likely insecure about how he is and feels he needs make himself out as someone else. According to the PsychAlive.org, insecurity is described as: “The critical inner voice is formed out of painful early life experiences in which we witnessed or experienced hurtful attitudes toward us or those close to us. As we grow up, we unconsciously adopt and integrate this pattern of destructive thoughts toward ourselves and others” (PsychAlive). From how Arnold is introduced, we can tell that he’s not comfortable in his own skin. The way he’s described comes off as awkward or unnatural, further showing it may be all an act. Even details like his “pimped out” car and old slang really help expose how forced his image is. The reader also knows that Arnold is older than the age of 30, around 15 years older than Connie! This information really helps solidify that Arnold defiantly has some issues and makes him out to be a full blown creep. Assuming he is insecure with his self-image, it makes more sense as to why he would go to such great lengths to change how he is seen by