"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" AnalysisIn American society, when individuals reach adolescence, they begin to search for their own identity by exploring their interests and opening their minds to new notions and ideas. This is the psychological and physical human development that ultimately leads them to adulthood. Joyce Carol Oates' short story describes a fifteen-year-old girl with typical adolescent concerns. She must face the realization of the meaning of maturity in American civilization when she is torn from her childhood by Arnold Friend. In the short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", Joyce Carol Oates suggests that when adolescents come of age, they are easily deceived and exploited due to the vulnerability and misunderstanding of youth in American culture. Connie's choice of music, rock music, categorically exemplifies the misconception of the minority which she then takes advantage of due to their lack of maturity and experience in American culture. When Connie returns home after an argument with her mother, she turns on the radio and listens to a Bobby King record where she calmly relaxes and immerses herself in the music. Joyce Carol Oates writes: "She sat on the edge of the bed, barefoot, and listened for an hour and a half to a program called XYZ Sunday Jamboree, record after record of hard, fast, screaming songs, singing along, punctuated by exclamations of "Bobby King"... And Connie paid close attention, bathed in a glow of slow-pulsing joy that seemed to arise mysteriously from the music itself and lay languidly in the little airless room, breathing in and out with each gentle rise and fall of the his chest” (p.2-para.5). This...... half of the paper...... can often lead them to new dangers as they face the problems and conflicts of adulthood even if they are not be prepared for this due to their vulnerability of being a youth. This is easily supported by Connie's influence on her choice of sexual music, idealistic simulation of being an icon, and her inability to fully understand a situation while being exploited and mistreated by an adult. Ultimately, the tale points to Connie's evolution, and her interaction with Arnold shaped how she saw the world as she called for her mother and entered a realm beyond her awareness. Joyce Carol Oates reminds American culture that without rules, support, and a sense of role models when one crosses the threshold of maturity, it can often lead to many impending crises and deaths due to adolescent recklessness..