illustration of a young girl, Connie, reflected in the sunglasses of a man, Arnold Friend

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

by Joyce Carol Oates

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What weapons does Arnold use against Connie, and what ominous details foreshadow a tragic end in "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been"?

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The short story, "Where Are You Going, Where Have you Been" is about a young girl named Connie. She lives in a small town, and she is abducted by an old man named Arnold Friend. He takes her to his home where they have dinner together. Shortly after Arnold tries to make love to her, Connie escapes from his house and runs away from the town.

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The famous short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates tells of an attractive 15-year-old girl named Connie who is abducted by an older stranger named Arnold Friend. It is based on a true case of a man who murdered young women and left their bodies in the desert.

Arnold uses several psychological weapons to lure Connie out of her house. First of all, he uses the ploy of recognition. He initially encounters Connie while she's sitting in another boy's car in a parking lot outside a restaurant. As a result, she recognizes him when he drives up at her parents's house, and this puts her off guard.

Next, Arnold uses the weapon of flattery. He tells her that she's cute and that he came out especially to see her. He says that he took a special interest in her because she is such...

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a pretty girl, which is why he found out all about her.

When flattery doesn't work, the final weapon that Arnold uses is a threat. He threatens to harm Connie's family unless Connie comes out of the house and goes with him.

There are numerous ominous foreshadowing details in the story. In the restaurant parking lot, Arnold wags a finger and says, "Gonna get you, baby." His appearance is ominous, with his shaggy black hair, mirrored sunglasses, pale skin, and eyes "like chips of broken glass." His companion is strange. Connie thinks he has "the face of a forty-year-old baby." Arnold's car, with its weird symbols and writings, is also ominous. The way that Arnold talks to Connie, in a familiar tone that gets more and more threatening as she resists him, is definitely sinister.

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Arnold uses manipulation and flattery against Connie that aid him in getting her to come with him.  First, he flatters her with comments about her beauty.  He uses the flattery to manipulate her and throw her "off guard."  He can "read" her well and knows she is influenced by flattery...that she loves it and desires it.  He also uses threats to manipulate her into going with him.  The main one he uses involves threatening to kill her entire family if she does not come with him.  In addition, Arnold speaks to her in a definitive, matter-of-fact way, telling her what she will do in a nonchalant way.  Connie is in so much disbelief at what is happening that she feels as if she is in a dream.  She can barely manage to scream into the phone that she picks up to call the police, and she gets no further in trying to call them.  She is merely a puppet now for Arnold Friend.  Connie is in a trance-like dreamworld at the end of the story, and walks calmly out of the door to go with Arnold Friend to a certain demise.

Some of the ominous details in the story that foreshadow a bad outcome for Connie include Connie being watched by Arnold when she was with her friends; Arnold showing up at her home and knowing where she lived and knowing about her life and family; and Connie being home alone and her family not returning for some time.  

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