Full Answer
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been real killer?
Charles SchmidIt was inspired by three Tucson, Arizona murders committed by Charles Schmid, which were profiled in Life magazine in an article written by Don Moser on March 4, 1966. Oates said that she dedicated the story to Bob Dylan because she was inspired to write it after listening to his song "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue".
Is Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been a real story?
Sources. Joyce Carol Oates based “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” on a true story of rape and murder in Tucson, Arizona, in 1965. Charles Schmid, a twenty-three-year-old man, was arrested for the rapes and murders of several teenage girls.
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been meaning?
In the 1960s, when Oates wrote “Where Are You Going . . . ,” a social revolution was happening. American women were asserting their rights and independence from men, and they were claiming their sexuality in a way they had never done before.
How is Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been a coming of age story?
The story also fits within the coming-of-age genre as it follows its adolescent protagonist as she faces some tough decisions. She goes through a kind of initiation and transformation, which in this case is both moral and sexual.
What happens to Connie at the end of the story?
Connie is compelled to leave with him and do what he demands of her. The story ends as Connie leaves her front porch; her eventual fate is left ambiguous.”
Is Connie murdered in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Many critics assume that Connie is indeed to die, but only after she rides away with Arnold and Ellie who will rape and murder her. However, much about the story suggests that Connie's death is a process that begins prior to Arnold's arrival at the house.
What does Connie represent in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Many critics have interpreted Arnold Friend as a symbol of some larger idea or force, such as the devil, death, or sexuality. Connie, also, has been said to represent many things: Eve, troubled youth, or spiritually unenlightened humanity.
Why did Connie go with Arnold?
Her insecurity, her low self-esteem, and her fear of intimacy all aid her in her unconscious decision to leave her house and go with the devious Arnold Friend in his gold convertible jalopy.
What is the significance of the title Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
1. It sounds like the kind of question you might get from your parents on your way out the door or coming home after your curfew – which makes sense for a story starring a teenager. 2. It could be a bigger, more metaphysical question: how did you get to this point in your life and what are you going to do now?
Who is the antagonist in the story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Arnold Friend is Connie's antagonist. In contrast to Connie's innocence, youth, and femininity, Arnold is on the side of sexual violence, death, and masculinity.
What is the conflict in the story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Connie Vs. Arnold Friend– The main conflict in this story, Arnold Friend and Connie clash. Connie is playing the scared, traumatized role while Arnold Friend is aggressor. He is making all the moves to get closer to kidnapping Connie.
What does the home symbolize in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Slowly, both Connie and the reader come to understand that if she leaves the house, Friend will take her away with him and rape her, perhaps even murder her. The house, then, comes to represent Connie's adolescent innocence and the safety both her family life and status as a child provides her with.
Why is the story called Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
1. It sounds like the kind of question you might get from your parents on your way out the door or coming home after your curfew – which makes sense for a story starring a teenager. 2. It could be a bigger, more metaphysical question: how did you get to this point in your life and what are you going to do now?
What do the numbers 33 19 17 mean?
The Code on the Car The code, 33, 19, 17 has at least two meanings. First, the reader can discover the title of the story. By counting backwards in the Old Testament of the Bible, 33 books, you will arrive at the book of Judges. Go to chapter 19, verse 17.
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been is Arnold Friend real?
Oates has described how she based the character of Arnold Friend on the real life serial killer, Charles Schmid, who also wore makeup and stuffed his boots in order to alter his appearance, and was known for preying on teenage girls—taking three of their lives in Tuscon, Arizona the 1960s.
What does Connie represent in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Many critics have interpreted Arnold Friend as a symbol of some larger idea or force, such as the devil, death, or sexuality. Connie, also, has been said to represent many things: Eve, troubled youth, or spiritually unenlightened humanity.
“Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?
This is only a short answer space. I think that you might consider there might be more read into this story than perhaps the author intended.
What is the significance of the line, “…and they don’t know one thing about you and never did and honey you’re better than them because not a one of them would have done this for you.”
Arnold is using what he knows about Connie's family to manipulate her. He does have a point, Connie's family doesn't seem to appreciate her why sho...
Many critical articles see “where are you going, where have you been?” As heavily symbolic, even allegorical, with elements of myth, dream, and fairy tale woven throughout. Do you think such analysis is necessary, or could the story be seen in much simple
I think perhaps there is more read into this by some critics than the author meant. The themes in GradeSaver pretty much cover the general meanings...
Who wrote the Pied Piper of Tucson?
Photo from the Tucson Citizen, 1965. Writer Don Moser’ s profile of Schmid in Life magazine, entitled “ The Pied Piper of Tucson ,” provided in-depth information about Schmid and the murders he’d committed. Moser’s story and the Bob Dylan song “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” were the impetus for author Joyce Carol Oates to create ...
Who is Smitty the Pied Piper?
Once Smitty and his friends were rounded up, the truth about Alleen Rowe’s death emerged. Charles Schmid, known to the teenagers as “Smitty,” is now one of America’s best known serial killers, the infamous “The Pied Piper of Tucson.”. Schmid was an interesting combination of characteristics.
Who was asked about the connection between the Bob Dylan song and her eventual story?
In San Francisco in 2004, author Joyce Carol Oates was asked about the connection between the Bob Dylan song and her eventual story. Here is her response:
Where does the story of Connie and Arnold take place?
The ambiguous tale of Connie and her doomed relationship with Arnold Friend hails back to the events in Tucson in the ’60s and introduces a number of questions that Oates herself has not fully answered. It makes for a disturbing and intriguing read.
Where are you going where have you been?
In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” fifteen-year-old girl Connie is confronted—and it’s implied, raped and killed—by a sinister stranger named Arnold Friend. As the story unfolds, Friend manipulates and terrorizes Connie to such an extent that he becomes an embodiment of evil. In fact, the story goes so far as to suggest that Friend might be a personification of death, or even the devil himself—the very picture of violence, danger, and cruelty. This, combined with the story’s biblical allusions and moments of religious imagery, allows Oates to explore the nature of good and evil in the context of everyday life. The story particularly wrings fear and tension from its assertion that evil and death exist—or can infiltrate—anywhere.
What did Connie like about the way he was dressed?
Connie liked the way he was dressed, which was the way all of them dressed: tight faded jeans stuffed into black, scuffed boots a belt that pulled his waist in and showed how lean he was, and a white pull-over shirt that was a little soiled and showed the hard small muscles of his arms and shoulders.
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?: Introduction
A concise biography of Joyce Carol Oates plus historical and literary context for Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?.
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?: Plot Summary
A quick-reference summary: Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? on a single page.
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?: Detailed Summary & Analysis
In-depth summary and analysis of every of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?. Visual theme-tracking, too.
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?: Themes
Explanations, analysis, and visualizations of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? 's themes.
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?: Quotes
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? 's important quotes, sortable by theme, character, or .
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?: Characters
Description, analysis, and timelines for Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? 's characters.
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?: Symbols
Explanations of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? 's symbols, and tracking of where they appear.
What does the Pied Piper reference mean?
The Pied Piper reference refers to his almost mystical ability to lure the victims to their death.
Where have you been by Joyce Carol Oates?
Where Have You Been?". is a modern classic by Joyce Carol Oates. Oates draws on mythology, music, and modern culture in order to create her story. Here is a summary, analysis and breakdown of some of the sources and inspiration she used along with an interpretation of their meaning. Short Summary of "Where Are You Going?
What does the song "The Sky Too Is Folding Under You" mean?
The song says that "the sky too is folding under you" which echoes the scene where Connie's legs get weak as Arnold is talking to her through the door. Friend refers to himself as Connie's lover, which is similar to the line "Your lover who just walked out the door.".
Who is Connie's friend?
Connie represents the gullable Persephone, and Friend is Hades.
What does a friend do to lure Connie out of the house?
Much like the PIed Piper, Friend is able to lure Connie out of the house and to her probable death using only his words and the strange sounds of the music that was playing both in the house and in his car.
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
About Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Summary Character List Glossary Themes Quotes and Analysis "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" Summary and Analysis Symbols, Allegory and Motifs Metaphors and Similes Irony Imagery Death and the Maiden Literary Elements Related Links Essay Questions Quiz 1 Quiz 2 Quiz 3 Quiz 4 Citations.
by Joyce Carol Oates
About Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Summary Character List Glossary Themes Quotes and Analysis "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" Summary and Analysis Symbols, Allegory and Motifs Metaphors and Similes Irony Imagery Death and the Maiden Literary Elements Related Links Essay Questions Quiz 1 Quiz 2 Quiz 3 Quiz 4 Citations.
Plot
Connie is a pretty, self-conscious 15-year-old girl. She has a strained relationship with her mother, who is jealous of her youth and beauty. Her mother constantly compares her to her sister, who is plain and hard-working. Her father is fairly distant and busy with work.
Characters
Connie: A beautiful girl who loves life. She is unsatisfied with her family, especially her mother, and seeks fulfillment elsewhere. She loves listening to music and is essentially a typical teenager.
Critical review
Considerable academic analysis has been written about the story, with scholars divided on whether it is intended to be taken literally or as allegory. Several writers focus on the series of numbers written on Friend's car, which he indicates are a code of some sort, but which is never explained:
Adaptations
The story was loosely adapted into the 1985 film Smooth Talk, starring Laura Dern and Treat Williams. Oates wrote an essay about the adaptation, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" and Smooth Talk: Short Story Into Film, in 1986.