Analyzing The Short Story 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'

Words: 526
Pages: 3

The short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’’, seems to be a cautionary tale about the consequences of vanity. Connie, the main character, is a beautiful blonde who looks down on her family and is extremely aware of her attractiveness which eventually leads to her downfall. She redeems herself in the end, however, by sacrificing herself to save her family. Connie accepts her fate even though where she is going looks decidedly bleak. Connie has a strained relationship with her mother and sister that stems from her mother constantly comparing her to her “plain and chunky and steady” (95) sister. Her mother, who was once pretty, picks on Connie out of jealousy wanting her to be more like her sister, so that she is not reminded