Connie In Joyce Carol Oates's Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

At their youngest ages, girls especially start to slip their tiny feet into their mother’s high heels, or start to over apply lip gloss they find laying around. Little girls can’t wait to grow up, but when they look back, they will see that time flew by. People can be in too much of a hurry to grow up sometimes. They want to become teenagers then move out, then start a family. People rush all these things before they take a step back and realize that they should have taken their time. One who is especially in too much of a hurry to grow up is the character Connie from the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates.
Connie is the main focus of this short story that shows us her constant desire to be separated …show more content…
"She wore a pull-over jersey blouse that looked one way when she was at home and another way when she was away from home. Everything about her had two sides to it.” She disappears for a few hours at a time with guys she meets, and it is assumed that Connie is exploring her sexuality during these times. An article by David K Gratz called ‘Oates’s Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’ digs deeper into Connie’s actions. The article shows us that Connie is not paying attention to the actions she takes and how this will determine her own future. The article states “Her compulsive sex drive will destroy her, Oates seems to tell us, not physically, but as a person, humanistically.” She really tries putting herself out there, and can’t understand the possibility of anything going wrong. Little does Connie know, that the sexual way she portrays herself can lead to something …show more content…
Connie is in too much of a hurry for change. She doesn’t realize how her decisions to express herself differently than at home, is leading her to such an awful thing. This is why Oates title is “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” The title represents this story very well. Richard Thomas, wrote an article called “Storyville: Dissecting ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’ by Joyce Carol Oates” which helps build on to this title and explains its meaning. The article states “Where has she been? Nowhere, she’s never gone anywhere or done anything, aside from heading down to the Big Boy to flirt with boys. But where is she going? Well, according to Friend, she is destined for greatness, even though most readers will assume that her getting in the car with Friend will lead to her impending doom, somewhere between abduction, rape and murder.” It gives the readers a sense of wonder about what is to come in the story. It shows so much more detail and makes readers want to read it immediately to find out where Connie has been, and where Connie is