Connie reminds me of every middle school student who was lucky enough to skip the awkward stage of their growth… one of those people of whom I was jealous. And she ditched her friends! All combined, I did not like the protagonist of the story. Actually, I do not like any person in the story, though as a whole, I enjoyed reading through the piece. It was disturbing, but interesting nonetheless.
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is written in third person. Despite the potential to be an omniscient narrator, the story is told with a close connection with Connie. There is some insight into what she is thinking but a lot of her feelings are ambiguous. Since everything is biased towards Connie, the views of her sister and mother are slighted. Connie’s overpowering self-confidence is a sharp contrast in her mind toward her sister, June, who is plain and homely. Nine years Connie’s senior, June is viewed as the dumb older sister. When going to a simple barbeque, Connie dresses “up as if she didn’t know what a barbeque” is (1024). The mother is viewed as a bitter woman past her prime; the reader is led to believe that June is the favorite, but in keeping with Connie’s self-esteem, Connie later states that “her mother preferred her to June just because she was prettier, but the two of them kept up a pretense of exasperation” (1024). Even poor old Dad is not safe from the reader’s judgment; his disinterest in his own child makes him a prime candidate of dislike.
Nothing could keep Arnold Friend from being completely abhorrent, however. Connie’s self-absorbance is nothing compared to Arnold’s overall stalker-like behavior. The irony behind his name itself is indication of his two-sided nature. I personally believe he added an extra “R” in his name, because he is anything but friendly.
Several questions popped into my head as I read through Oates’ short story. For example, what is the secret code of numbers written on the car? Are those the ages of the women he’s raped? Are those the ages he has pretended to be? How can a voice be a “bright monotone?” (1025). Where did he get all the information on her and her family? This guy is just generally creepy! After the narrator reveals his real age—which is over thirty—the whole story just comes crashing. She wants to call the police but he threatens to come into the house only if she picks up the phone.
When she does try to call the police, all she does is scream as Arnold comes in and takes her away. Does he literally stab her or just jolt the breath from her lungs? The narrator keeps pointing out that her back is wet; is that from sweat or blood? I was thoroughly confused. Does she die? He talks about going to the country; is he going to leave her out there? He already tells her that she isn’t going to live in that house ever again.
The last thing he says is “my sweet little blue-eyed girl” though Connie’s eyes are brown. Clearly Arnold has gone insane. My mind ran rampant through the possibilities of back stories for Arnold Friend. He must have had a wife who left him or a girl in his past who slighted him—and she must have had blue eyes. Connie’s resemblance made her special to him, as he pointed out in the beginning.
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