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Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Literary Analysis

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Is it possible for someone to embody maturity and innocence at the same time? A story written by Joyce Carol Oates called “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been” shows this duality in her depiction of a suburban teenage girl who doesn’t seem to fit in with her life. Connie, the story’s protagonist, embraces two personas; one for her home and another for the outside world to help her cope with life. One day while out with her friends, she ends up luring a man named Arnold Friend back to her house. Arnold proves himself to be extremely dangerous when he shows all the information he knows about Connie and her life. He threatens her to come with him and she attempts to get him to leave her alone. In the end he convinces her to go to him and she is sure she will never see her family again. While Connie’s fate is unknown due to where the story ended, it is strongly implied she was raped, then murdered by Arnold. Connie in this story is a confused, misled teenage girl who deeply craved and searched for love. Due to this strong desire of hers, she ended up looking in all the wrong places which eventually led to her demise. Connie has a complex, multifaceted personality that was not …show more content…
Nicole Holman’s essay “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”, talks about Connie’s issues and how they affected her mental health. She writes about Connie’s mental illnesses and how they came to be. This piece supports the statement that these psychological pathologies developed from the lack of love, support, and understanding in her life. Holman discusses Connie as having insecurity, low self-esteem, and fear of intimacy. (Holman) Holman continues by saying that she had nothing particularly sentimental to her to stay for, whether it be her family or friends. (Holman) She states that Connie went with Arnold Friend because of all her psychological issues and lack of strong bonds to the people around

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