About

     Where are you going, Where have you been? is a short story that brought many questions and mysteries towards the end. This short story was writen in 1966 by Joyce Carol Oates. After reading an article in Life Magazine, Oates was inspired by the three Tuczon, Arizona murders committed by Charles Schimmid and it was not until she heard one of Bob Dylan’s songs “Its All Over Now. Baby Blue” that she began writing her story and thereafter, dedicated her piece of work to Bob Dylan. Its not until 1988, that “Smooth Talk” a film version came out on the basis of the short story writen by Joyce Carol Oates.

     Where are you going, Where have you been? starts off with a typical 15 year old teenage girl that mostly cares about the self apperance and is more preocupied with boys and daydreams. Connie, the teenage girl does not have a good mother and daughter relationship with her mother. Most of the time her mother naggs her and complains on how she wishes that Connie should be like older sister, who is much more responsible and is very helpful around the house. Connie would lie to her mother about her going to the movie theater, when in reality she heads off to a restaurant, shaped like a bottle across the shopping plaza. There she would hang out with her friend and conversate with boys and enjoy the music. That same evening she captures the attention of Arnold Freind a stranger who drives a gold jalopy.

     Later on in the story, Connie’s parents head off to a barbecue to an aunts house and ends up leaving Connie at home. Connie didn’t show much interest in going and decided to stay home listening to her favorite song in XYZ. All of the sudden Connie hears the arrival of a car and heads down stairs to see who it was. Arnold Freind and his friend Ellis arrived at Connie’s place with the purpose of seducing her and convincing her to take a ride with Arnold. Connie at first takes it as a game until she was threatend by Arnold that her family was going to get hurt if she didnt ride with him. At the end of the story, Connie ended up going with Arnold but it’s a mystery and no on e knows where they went and what Arnold Friend ended up doing to Connie.