“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates (350 words)

Joyce Carol Oates’s Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been explains the untold truth of what happens to many teenage girls without their efforts. Many girls, like the main character Connie, are perceived to be naïve and self-absorbed, by things that they do; like how Connie is constantly “craning her neck to glance into mirrors, or checking other people’s faces to make sure her own was all right” (Oates 595) and believing the only thing that matters is the way she looks. Without trying to draw the attention of older, creepy men, the way many girls, like Connie, dress and act can lead to dangerous things they might not be prepared for. I think this story was written to show the readers that there are people who will want to cause them harm. Dressing promiscuously, going places they shouldn’t, and talking to strangers should all be huge warning signs that many people wouldn’t take into consideration. I think the theme of bending the rules and doing things without the permission of her parents are huge factors to the downfall and tragedy of Connie’s life. Maybe, if Connie hadn’t gone out to a place she knew she wasn’t allowed to go to might have put her in a lot less trouble. Knowing many people who act the way that Connie acts in the story, and have clothes that “look one way when […] at home and another way” (596) away from home, this story was an eye opener to be cautious and aware of all possible outcomes and reactions to your own actions and choices. After reading this story, people should start to realize what situations around them seem normal, like flirting, and when these situations cross the line, like when Arnold Friend, a forty-year-old man, talks about having sex with a young girl he has only met once. It is times like these that many people need to learn to recognize and stay as far away from as possible. Overall, I really liked this story and thought the characters were very realistic. The theme was clear and helped me to realize I need to protect myself in the dangerous world around me.