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 are some themes in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
- Appearances and Deception. …
- Agency, Control, and Manipulation. …
- The Presence of Evil. …
- Music and Romantic Fantasy. …
- Loss of Innocence.
What is the ending of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
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.”
What does Connie represent in the story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
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 is the purpose of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
In “Where Are You Going . . . ,” Oates explores this social upheaval in miniature: Connie, one young woman out of a country of young women, must confront her own questions and anxieties as she transitions into adulthood. Her separation from her home and family is violent, and Arnold Friend is by no means a savior.
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.
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been title meaning?
In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?, the title relates to Connie’s lack of focus and detachment from her family when she goes out with her…
What kind of person is Arnold Friend?
Despite his strange appearance, Arnold is initially somewhat appealing to Connie in a dangerous way. He is an older, highly sexualized man who offers to take her away from her life as an unhappy teenager. He is incredibly different from Connie’s family and the other boys she knows, which intrigues her.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.
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.
Article first time published onWhat 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.
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 is the authors purpose in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Author’s Purpose This story was written during a time of upheaval in the role of the American woman. Women were starting to set their own goals and do what they please without the permission of a man.
What does Arnold friend's car symbolize?
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. … Once Arnold’s true, violent nature comes through, the car becomes a symbol of all that is dark and ominous about his character.
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.
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.
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 were Arnold's first words to Connie?
The first words out of his mouth are “Gonna get you, baby.“
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.
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.”
Is Arnold Friend a devil?
The most obvious aspects of Arnold Friend that suggest that he is the Devil in disguise are his physical features. For example, several references are made to the abnormality of his feet. … The devices that Arnold Friend uses to tempt Connie also suggest that he is the Devil.
Does Arnold Friend represent the devil?
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. … She knows he is threatening her and her family but it seems she is controlled by an unknown source that makes her go with him.
What did Connie do instead of go to a barbecue with her family?
Connie spends the summer avoiding her mother’s prying questions and dreaming about the boys she meets. One Sunday, her parents and June leave her at home alone while they go to a family barbeque. Connie washes her hair and dozes while she lets it dry in the sun.
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.
What is the 33 book of the Bible?
Jeremiah 33BookBook of JeremiahHebrew Bible partNevi’imOrder in the Hebrew part6CategoryLatter Prophets
What inspired Joyce Carol Oates to create Arnold friend?
In 1966, author Joyce Carol Oates was inspired to write a short story in a very peculiar way. While reading Life Magazine, she stumbled across an article about a serial killer with a bazar style and personality, which prompted her to write one of her most famous works to date.
What would the kitchen symbolize in the story?
Kitchens. In Yoshimoto’s Kitchen, kitchens symbolize the natural, repetitious rhythms of life, which is often what pulls the protagonist, Mikage Sakurai, out of a moment where she feels overwhelmed by the presence of death…
