A Wicked Path Through Teen into Adulthood

A teenage girl’s world in a literary work is the meaning of the transition into adulthood which faces the aggression of an old fiend. Transition into adulthood is significant step in the teenagers’ life. In the Joyce Carol Oates’s work “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” the story has a descriptive explanation. The meaning of the story can be examined by the readers’ opinion. The teenage girl’s efforts to make her sexually attractive and enticing boys were noticed by Arnold Friend, a bizarre and confusing character, who comes after the teenage girl.

According to Oates, the story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” is based upon a real-life incident. The two main characters in the story are Connie, a 15-year teenage girl, and Arnold Friend, an older allegoric character. Connie, as a teenage girl is oppressed with her beauty and the desire to be attractive without realizing the danger of her actions and appearance. She often goes out with her friends to a local mall and drive-in restaurant. Connie misses parental guidance during her transition into adolescent and independence. The readers can observe that there is a disconnection in Connie and her parent’s relationship. Connie’s mother never had any issues with her older daughter when she went places; therefore, “when Connie wanted to do that her mother had no objections'. On the other hand, her father absent often and “He didn’t bother talking much to them”. Even though, they were irritated with her manners, they never questioned her actions. Connie’s actions were noticed by Arnold Friend, who tells her right away “Gonna get you, baby”.

Even though, Arnold appears with unidentified background for the readers in the story, he was presented with an odd and ambiguous character. He comes after Connie at her place when she is alone with “an open jalopy, painted a bright gold” and his friend Ellie. His interaction with Connie is strange, filled with secret codes and special signs. The signs and numbers written on the car and the x sign he makes in the air, leave the readers to wonder what they represent. He attempts to charm Connie at first, but becomes evident to the readers that he is not who he pretends to be when Connie refuses to go with him. He is older guy with shabby black hair that looks like a wig, masculine figure, and stuffs his boots to seem taller. It appears that Arnold is attracted to younger girls; therefore, he tries to present himself as a younger guy. He manipulates Connie by knowing all about her, her weaknesses, her appearance, and her family. He traps her into conversation that he can take control of, and he finally manages to convince her to come with him.

The dominant idea of the story is evolution between youth and adulthood. In “Where Are You” when Arnold approaches Connie and says “I’m your lover. You don’t know what that is but you will,”may represent the search she had undertaken pursuing maturity. Furthermore, by analyzing his name, the readers might be able to understand the reason he added the surname Friend. By removing the r’s in Arnold Friend, it will spell an old fiend which represents a very evil or cruel person. In the story Arnold’s mannerisms represent a sociopath. The emotional reaction of the readers is affected by the brutal outcome of an innocent teenage girl’s exploration for independence. 

To summarize, Joyce Carol Oates as the author completes Connie’s search for independence and adulthood on a dark note. Even though, her search may continue, the story ends with more permanent signs.