"Where Have You Been, Where Are You Going"

Joyce Oates’ story “Where Are You Going, Where have you been?” was possibly hinting to the death of Connie with the words “she was going to it”(521-161), referring to the land. It could be seen as her being buried in the land, or that she would just travel to the land. I believe that the most realistic conclusion would be that she was killed, because Arnold Friend prevented her from using the telephone, and said that if she didn’t come out of the house before her family got home, that “they’re all going to get it”(519-131). Her panic attack was compared to him “stabbing her again and again”(520-144), which suggested the possibility of such a death. He also knew too much about her and imposed upon her too much to have been rational. He could be compared to a serial killer, because of his compulsiveness and the “secret code”(513-36) painted on his car.
When Arnold arrived, I thought that it would be great if Connie had a gun, but it would have been of little or no use. She couldn’t even use a phone, when her fingers “were too weak to touch”(520-144) the dial. Connie was weak and naive, because she allowed him to encroach upon her and “watched herself push the door open”(521-160), to willingly go with him. Although she probably could have outran him, with the proper wits and timing, as he “wobbled in his high boots”(517-105), or better yet, avoiding that stranger all together. Her actions and behavior were a great disappointment.