In the early 1960s, there was a spiraling decline in cultural and societal values ​​in America. The story “Where are you going, where have you been?” by Joyce Carol Oates attempts to depict the sufferings that a teenager is likely to experience in life while trying to find their balance in life and find their true identity by realizing who they are as a person at that time. This process can lead to frustration and confusion at this particular stage, as one finds oneself in between. This search for individuality causes adolescents to be so easily sensitive to many things. Young adults who struggle during puberty to regain a sense of individuality can cause a lot of suffering that can lead them to self-harm most of the time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essayIn the early 1960s, conventional ideas regarding sex, power, love, and race changed greatly. Traditionally accepted sources of morality were radically abandoned in mid-century suburban American society. This gave a feeling of free political will and absence of authority. In the story “Where are you going, where have you been. » This theme is represented when Connie's parents have abandoned any real authority they might have over their teenage daughter. The father in the house is seen showing up physically, but most of the time he is mentally absent. Her mother tries to scrutinize her, but she doesn't see her deceptions at all. None of these parents are able to provide Connie with a sense of security or guidance. This lack of authority causes Connie to move around the world with no one to protect her. This leads her down a dangerous path that leads her to meet Arnold, the aggravator of her suffering, on a higher level. Human beings always want to be able to exercise their free will at all costs. When we are introduced to the story, Connie puts her ability to exercise free will into play by deceiving her mother about plans she has with her friends not to attend the family barbecue. Connie exercises her freedom and free will as a young adult. As the story draws to a close, Connie's ability to exercise this free will is called into question by the manipulations of Arnold's friends. Carol Oates refers to Connie's "unexpected gesture of heroism" as a sign that she exercised the act of free will to sacrifice herself on behalf of her family in the story's final scenes. This may not be true in its entirety, as the actions Connie describes seem like she lost complete control of her free will. He's a fractured soul and no one seems to notice. She's probably controlled but no one can notice because she always felt the need to be her own kind of person and everyone around her was used to that part of her, even if it was a call to help from suffering. In a world where men are seen as in charge, women tend to suffer in silence since most of the time, their world revolves around these men. Connie's world revolves entirely and completely around men. When she wants to go to the mall to meet boys, she calls on her father's friend to drive her. After being invited to dinner by Eddie, Connie voluntarily abandons her friend Becky to accompany the boy. She considers Becky her friend, but she is just a footnote in her entire life. Throughout her life, Connie only has sweet fantasies about boys and the type of love shewish. She does not have strong relationships with her peers, they are constantly antagonistic. The story explores the bitter relationships between the women, beyond Connie. His mother and aunts constantly complain about each other. Through it all, in the end, Connie is destroyed by the predators and violence of men, reinforcing her dangerous insecure existence in the world of cruel men. As human beings evolve, the desire for independence always consumes the best part of us. As Connie approaches adulthood, her constant search for independence increases. Connie is seen stumbling upon a first dine-in restaurant that has many older teenagers and plays popular music. She changes her personality and adopts different types of mannerisms to communicate with her peers. She slowly began to cut herself off from her parents' control and protection. During one of her secret outings, she meets Arnold Friend, who ends up exploiting her because he has learned to manipulate her easily; using the thirst for independence she had and the desire to leave her childhood in the past. Through a series of potential emotional and physical abuses, he forcefully forces her into adulthood, brutally cutting her off from the life she had known. This causes him ultimate suffering, as his search for independence did not come naturally, but brutally precipitated. As they transition into adulthood, adolescents are normally in a constant war with reality and the fuzzy fantasies they desire. We see Connie spending a lot of time fantasizing about boys and love. When she is in her room or even in her garden, she easily gets drawn in and out of her daydreams accompanied by the music she really loves. When she meets Arnold Friend, the drawn boundaries between reality and the fantasies she continued to have become even more blurred, making her even more disturbed and confused. She views their entire encounter as surreal. The inability to distinguish what we can get in the real world from fantasies can lead us to make so many mistakes that cause us to suffer and suffer even more. It's not very uncommon for people to have split personalities. There are people who constantly change their personality to fit a certain group of people, just to fit in or to prove something to themselves. Connie and the boy he met; Arnold Friend, has a sort of ambiguous identity. Depending on the environment Connie finds herself in, she changes her personality to fit in; when she's at home, she's a different person, when she goes out with her friends, she's a different person. On the other hand, Arnold Friend has given people the illusion that he is just a teenager, even though deep down she is sinister. The two may have met because they have the same problem with how they choose to present their identities. Identity ambiguity can lead to serious problems, as it ultimately did for Connie, causing her to suffer in ways she never signed up for. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay If you try to explore the world, people can be stripped of their innocence in ways they hadn't imagined. Connie, a 15-year-old teenager, is very busy with her appearance, going crazy about materialistic things and always in constant conflict with her parents as she seeks to explore her own little world. Connie is a naive little girl and this clearly shows in the way she handles her sexuality. Her sexual opinions come from the movies she watches and 15.2 (1978): 200.