What is the meaning of the title of Joyce Carol Oates’s short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” The questions are not asked in the story. The title also
points to the strained relationship between Connie and her parents
, who nag her about her behavior but do not question her actions.
What does the numbers mean in the story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
When Connie asks him what the stuff painted on his car means, Arnold goes through the various sayings and eventually comes to the numbers 33,19, 17. … Harold Hurley posits that the numbers
carry a sexual connotations because when added together they equal 69
, a sexual position.
What is the message of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
The main themes of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” are
appearance versus reality, the embodiment of evil, and self-sacrifice
. Appearance vs. reality: Both Connie and Arnold have two-sided natures, presenting an appealing self when necessary and withholding another.
Why does Connie leave with Arnold Friend?
This fear, this defense that Connie has developed, is another reason that she ends up with Arnold Friend in the end. … Her insecurity, her
low self-esteem
, and her fear of intimacy all aid her in her unconscious decision to leave her house and go with the devious Arnold Friend in his gold convertible jalopy.
What is the conflict in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Conflicts present in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” include
an ongoing conflict between Connie and her mother about the way she lives her life
. A second conflict arises between Connie and “Arnold Friend,” who arrives at her house when she is home alone with the intention of abducting her.
Is Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been based on a true story?
Joyce Carol Oates based “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” on
a true story of rape and murder in Tucson, Arizona
, in 1965. Charles Schmid, a twenty-three-year-old man, was arrested for the rapes and murders of several teenage girls.
Why is Arnold friend name significant?
Arnold Friend
Symbolizes the Devil in Where
are you Going, Where Have you been? … Arnold Friend clearly symbolizes the devil through his physical traits, his knowledge of Connie, and his power over her kind of like he was hypnotizing her to go with him. First, Arnold Friend’s physical traits portray him as Satan.
What happens at the end of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
What happened to Connie at the end of Where Are You Going Where have you been by Joyce Carol Oates?
Connie is compelled to leave with him and do what he demands of her
. The story ends as Connie leaves her front porch; her eventual fate is left ambiguous.”
Why does Arnold want Connie?
Because she is
interested in the opposite sex and willing to
keep her actions secret from her family, she is attractive to a predator like Arnold Friend. … Connie will not be difficult to take advantage of, and Arnold Friend recognizes that.
What does Arnold friend want Connie?
Arnold Friend: A mysterious figure who visits Connie while her family is not at home and continuously demands that Connie
to get in the car and go on a ride with him
. He attempts to be smooth talking, yet his strange, performative and threatening behaviour make Connie uneasy and scared to be with him.
What does Ellie Oscar mean?
Ellie Oscar
Taken together, the phrase sounds like “
dear friend.
“
What role does music play in Where Are You Going Where have you been?
Music. Music functions as
Connie’s bridge from the real world to her fantasy world
. Connie enjoys escaping her life by listening to music and daydreaming about boys, and she gathers her ideas about romance primarily from songs on the radio.
Why has the stranger come to visit the family home?
Why does the stranger come to the house?
He was in town on business and it was his childhood home
. What is the father’s attitude when the story begins? Friendly and welcoming.
How does Connie change from the beginning of the story to the end?
The primary change can be seen by looking at the very start and very end of the story. At the start of the story, Connie knows she is pretty, and she experiences this as validation and power. After all, “she knew she was pretty and that was everything.” At the end of the story,
her beauty is vulnerability
.
Why is Connie alone in the house when Arnold Friend visits her?
Why was Connie alone in the house when Arnold Friend visited her?
She did not want to go to the barbecue with her family.
Where are you going serial killer?
According to Oates, the story was inspired by a Life magazine story about the serial killer Charles Schmid, who, like the story’s villain, was an older man who preyed on adolescent girls.
