Throughout the short story, “Where are you going? Where have you been?”, Joyce Carol Oates uses a story of a teenage girl coming of age in the mid 1960s, which was difficult in the fact that people expected a certain outcome out of certain people, and a story about parents denial to believe what their kids are actually doing when they go out. “The father of Connie’s best girlfriend drove the girls the three miles to town....and when he picked them up again at eleven he never bothered to ask what they had done” (Oates pg.388). Connie, the main character, is a very naive fifteen year old who realizes the way she is living her life only benefits herself, and doesn’t care what effect it has on anyone else. Oates uses symbolism and characters to help to show the growing up of a teenage girl, and the impact family has on her.

Connie’s rebellious behavior is a shock to her family during the time period in which the story was written. The denial that her family is in is just another way to tell the reader that parents need to be more cautious of what goes on in the teenage world, and the danger that might follow. Connie often lies about where she is going, and what she has

“Where are you going? Where have you been?”, is a story to make the reader think about what is really happening in the real world. Reality sets in and it is a dangerous world in which we live. There is always going to be temptations and pressure on what to do in life. With the questions, where are you going, and where have you been, they might help to provide some reassurance in everyone’s life. When a parent asks a child what they are going to do, they need to make sure they get a solid answer. Oates tells us the story of what might happen when not enough precautions are taken place. The teenage years are very hard, and they need their independence but they also need some guidance on what is right and what is wrong. Connie’s parents did not try hard enough, maybe if they did Arnold Friend would not have shown up at the drive-in, or at her house that day. They gave her too much independence and not enough discipline, and Connie surrendered to a life in which she believes she is safe, when in reality, she is very far from being safe.

Oates uses Arnold Friend’s character to show the impact he has on Connie. When Connie first see’s him at the drive-in restaurant, he gives a sly smile, almost as if he knows, that she too, is going to fall into his trap. Arnold’s character knows what Connie wants, and that is attention, loyalty, and

stability. He is dangerous in his actions, but comes off as harmless. The way that Connie flaunts herself

The symbolism of music is to show the fear and reality that comes along with certain addictions. Music is either played or referenced to throughout the story. At the drive-in when Connie first sees Arnold Friend, there is music playing in the background. When Arnold comes to her house, they are listening to the same radio program. When the music is off however, the real world

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