“[The] story is clearly an
allegory of the fatal attractions of death (or the devil)
,” Oates explains. “An innocent young girl is seduced by way of her own vanity; she mistakes death for erotic romance of a particularly American/trashy sort” (source).
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.
What is the significance of Arnold’s car in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Arnold’s Car
Arnold Friend’s flashy gold car, with its outdated phrases written on the sides, is
an extension of Arnold himself: extreme and not entirely right
. The car gives Connie her first clues that there might be something wrong with or dangerous about Arnold.
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been purpose of Ellie?
What role does Ellie play in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”? Ellie serves a couple of roles in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” First, his hauntingly vacant personality increases the menacing mood of the story. Second,
he provides a physical threat to balance Arnold Friend’s verbal manipulation
.
What does Connie do at the end of the story?
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.”
Where do Connie and her friends go when they leave the shopping plaza?
Connie and her friends enjoy being dropped off at a shopping plaza without adult supervision, wearing ballerina slippers and charm bracelets. Often after being dropped off, they
run across the highway to a drive-in where older kids gather
.
What does Connie symbolize?
Many critics have interpreted Arnold Friend as a symbol of some larger idea or force, such as the devil, death, or sexuality. Connie, also, has been said to represent many things:
Eve, troubled youth, or spiritually unenlightened humanity
.
What do the numbers 33 19 17 mean?
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.
Why is music so important to Connie?
Music Symbol Analysis. From the outset of the story,
music symbolizes Connie’s inner life
, specifically the pleasure she takes in romantic relationships and romantic ideals themselves. Whenever she goes to the plaza with her friends, music is always playing in the background.
How does Arnold Friend manipulate Connie?
Friend seems to know that he can control Connie with his words:
if she simply listens to him for long enough, the desired effect will take hold
. … Friend’s use of manipulative language makes her believe she not only has no other option than to go with him, but that she has chosen to go with him.
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
. … She does everything that her family asks of her, and is doted on by their mother.
How old is Connie in where are you going?
Connie. The
fifteen-year-old
protagonist of the story. Connie is in the midst of an adolescent rebellion. She argues with her mother and sister, June, and neglects family life in favor of scoping out boys at the local restaurant.
What does Ellie Oscar represent?
Ellie Oscar
“Ellie” is a name which could easily be read as “Ally”. His last name, Oscar, has Irish roots just as Connie’s does, “Os” is a prefix which means “deer”, while “cara” means “friend”. Taken together, the phrase sounds like “
dear friend
.”
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been irony?
The dramatic irony of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” conveys
the tone of warning about temptation
. Connie’s situation is that she does not feel appreciated at home and uses her looks and actions to get attention and appreciation from boys even if it is short-term.
What is the meaning behind Arnold friend’s name in Where Are You Going Where have you been?
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.
Where Are You Going Where have you been Why does Connie go with Arnold friend?
Through the most brutal of situations, she has matured from a girl into a woman. Such transformation makes Connie’s reflection that she will never see her mother again all the more poignant. Connie goes with
Arnold because of her love for her family
. To save them, she surrenders to him.
Is Connie dreaming in where are you going?
In Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” the reader can conclude that
this story is Connie’s realistic dream
. … The narrator leaves the reader to decide Connie’s fate, which is waking up from this awful nightmare relieved that her dream was not reality. Works Cited. Oates, Joyce Carol.
What is Connie’s American Dream?
Connie is attempting to overcome her plain life by living an alternate life on the weekends. Joyce Carol Oates characters frequently fall short of their dreams, mainly because their dreams are unobtainable. Connie’s dream of the American rock
-star does not exist
, This preview is partially blurred.
Why does Connie go with Arnold and Ellie?
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.
Who arrives in Connie’s driveway while her parents are at the barbeque?
At some point later in the summer, Connie is left alone at home on a Sunday when the rest of her family go out for a barbecue. A car pulls up in the driveway: it’s
Arnold Friend and Ellie Oscar
.
Is Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been based on a true story?
Sources. 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.
What kind of person is Connie?
The protagonist of the story, Connie is a
pretty fifteen-year-old girl
who loves spending time with her friends and flirting with boys. Connie takes great pleasure in her appearance, so much so that her mother often scolds her for being vain.
What are Connie’s values?
Connie’s characteristics include
arrogance, vanity, and naivety
. She is manipulative, as well. Her vanity is one of the reasons that she falls victim to Arnold Friend. She is obsessed with her appearance and she gauges her self-worth by it.
What does the secret code in Where Are You Going Where have you been?
The Code On the Car
The code,
33, 19, 17
has at least two meanings. First, the reader can discover the title of the story. By counting backwards in the Old Testament of the Bible, 33 books, you will arrive at the book of Judges.
Who is Arnold friend based on?
Oates has described how she based the character of Arnold Friend on the real life serial killer,
Charles Schmid
, who also wore makeup and stuffed his boots in order to alter his appearance, and was known for preying on teenage girls—taking three of their lives in Tuscon, Arizona the 1960s.
What is the 33 book of the Bible?
| Jeremiah 33 | Book Book of Jeremiah | Hebrew Bible part Nevi’im | Order in the Hebrew part 6 | Category Latter Prophets |
|---|
Do the descriptions of Arnold Friend his face his clothing his dialogue have symbolic meaning is his name symbolic?
Why is music so important to Connie and to the story as a whole? Do the descriptions of Arnold Friend–his face, his clothing, his dialogue–have symbolic meaning? … This whole story is
an allegory for temptation by the Devil
. Connie is vain, and the Devil targets vain people.
Is Arnold Friend a human?
Arnold Friend, with his suggestive name that hints at “Arch Fiend,” is an ambiguous figure who
may be either demon or human, fantasy or reality
. Arnold makes a grand entrance at Connie’s house in his gold convertible, but beyond his ostentatious car, his appearance is less than impressive.
How is Arnold Friend described?
Oates characterizes Arnold Friend at first glance as
“a boy with shaggy, black hair, in a convertible jalopy painted gold”
(581). … Oates does make Arnold out to be a psychopathic stalker, but never objectively states the diabolical nature of his character.
What role does music play in the story 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.
What color eyes does Connie have?
She has a prominent nose with
black eyes
with thick eyebrows and has dark brown puffy hair that varies in length. From her debut to “Dewey Wins”, Connie’s hair was waist-length.
Is Arnold the devil in Where Are You Going Where have you been?
Arnold Friend, the antagonist in Joyce Carol Oates’s story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” represents the devil who arrives to bring Connie to the underworld. For example, his unusual appearance implies that he is an inhuman being, unlike what he wants to lead on.
What were Arnold’s first words to Connie?
The first words out of his mouth are “
Gonna get you, baby.
“
Is Connie a narcissist?
In the short story, Carol Oates describes Connie as having two different personalities,
one being a narcissistic attitude
.
How old is Stevonnie?
Rebecca Sugar confirmed that Stevonnie’s age is a combination of those of Steven and Connie. As of Reunited, Steven is 14 years and 8 months old, and Connie is 13 years and 5 months old. Couldn’t you then list Stevonnie’s age as
28 years 1 month old
as of Reunited?
What role does identity play throughout the story how does Connie define her identity?
The role of identity is prominent throughout this story as Connie, like most teenagers,
tries to define herself by testing parental and societal boundaries
. Rente: Identify the point of view in the story. How does Oates effectively use point of view to communicate the character of Connie to the reader?
