Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

Everything can be connected in literature. Whether it be a romance novel and an action book or a scary movie and a short story, there is always a connection you just have to search for it. I compiled five different pieces of literature and was able to connect them in a variety of ways. Using Thomas C. Foster’s ideas of “pattern recognition” and a literary lens mentioned in the “Literary Perspective Tool Kit” packet, I was able to connect The Matrix and Dead Poets Society. I also found connections between The Catcher in the Rye, “The Flowers”, and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” through the theme of coming of age. All good works of literature can be boiled down and placed into several categories, two of which are coming of age and gender roles. These categories help the writer to shape their work into interesting and widely praised …show more content…
At the end of the short story, Connie's whole family goes to a barbecue but Connie decides to stay home. Whilst Connie is home alone a creepy man (Arnold Friend) comes to her house and tries to lure her outside. Even though it is unclear what happens to Connie at the end of the story, I believe that Connie was raped. However, the truth value of my belief is indeterminate because we do not really know what happened to Connie (Crashcourse #7). The reason I believe Connie was raped is because of this sentence: “I'll come inside you where it's all secret and you'll give in to me and you'll love me "(Oates). "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" is a coming of age story. Connie lost her innocence that day when Arnold Friend came to her house. No matter what actually happened at the end of the story, when Connie was forced out of her house, her innocence was lost. Loss of innocence is another component of coming of age. When you lose your innocence you lose part of your childhood and when that happens, you come of