Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates - Essay Sample

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? is a well-known short story written by Joyce Carol Oates in 1966. It looks at the cultural upheaval that occurred in the mid-20th century America together with the themes of will, independence and identity. In the story, an older man called Arnold Friend arrives at the home of a 15-year-old girl called Connie and tries to persuade her to go for a ride in his car. However, Connie refuses; something that makes Friend to become angry and aggressive. He resorts to threats and manipulation to coerce her into submission. This essay looks at how a certain quote by Arnold connects to the theme explored in the story. It will also look at how the quote connects to themes in The Things They Carried By Tim OBrien.

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At one point in the story, Arnold Friend says, "The place where you came from ain't there anymore, and where you had in mind to go is cancelled out. This place you are now.inside your daddy's houseis nothing but a cardboard box I can knock down any time. You know that and always did know it." He says this to Connie when he arrives at her home and demands to take her on a ride in his car. Despite making several attempts to make Arnold leave, he remains rooted outside the door. He does not go away even when Connie threatens to call the police. Friend is determined to have what he wants, which is to take Connie with him.

The above quote by Arnold Friend connects to the theme of fantasy versus reality in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Connie puts a lot of effort to exude the appearance that she is a mature lady with experience when it comes to handling men. However, when she encounters Arnold; it is revealed that that was merely a performance. She has adopted a pleasant adult persona and general behavior through her dress code and hairstyles that attracts the attention she craves from boys her age. All in all, she confuses her ability to attract attention from these boys to sexual maturity. The romantic interactions seen in the pop culture Connie follows so avidly are very different from how adult sexuality is in reality. When Arnold forcefully takes her into adulthood, it represents a change within herself in that she abandons childlike fantasies and adopts the reality of what it is to be a mature woman.

The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien tells the story of Jimmy Cross, the leader of a group of American soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War. Cross carries various reminders of his love for a girl called Martha who he dated before joining the army. He is pre-occupied by thoughts of her although she had not given any indication of ever reciprocating his love. For instance, he thinks of the love letters from Martha, the extent to which he loves her and wishes she loves him too, and whether or not she is virgin.

The quote by Arnold Friend mentioned earlier can help understand the theme in The Things They Carried, assuming that he is talking to Jimmy Cross. It helps highlight the main themes of imagination and memory as well as the opportunities for mental escape that they offer. When Cross goes through the arduous day-to-day routines of combat duty, his mind is always on Martha. When he does this, he does not just recall memories of her. He thinks of all the opportunities he had to express his love for her but which he wasted. For instance, he has touched Marthas knee while on a date but she made him withdraw his hand. Cross wishes that he had persisted and touched her knee the whole night.