Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? is a frequently anthologized short story written by Joyce Carol Oates. Oates's story 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 had been inspired to write it after listening to his song It's All Over Now, Baby Blue. The story was loosely adapted into the 1985 film Smooth Talk, starring Laura Dern and Treat Williams.
Plot
The main character of Oates's story is Connie, a beautiful fifteen-year-old girl. While her parents are away at her aunt's barbecue, two men pull up in front of her house and call Connie out. The driver, Arnold Friend, tells Connie he is eighteen years old and has come to take her away. Connie does not know the man and slowly realizes that he is actually much older. As Connie refuses to go with him, he becomes more forceful and threatening until 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.
Themes
Arnold Friend is often read to represent the devil. His face is described as stretched and mask-like, and his boots stand at unnatural angles. One boot is actually bent at a right angle at the ankle, suggesting a false leg or possibly a cloven hoof.[1]
