Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Connie Character Analysis

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“Characterization of Connie in ‘Where are You Going, Where Have You Been?’”

In the short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, the protagonist, Connie, is indulged in her own self. First, Connie is obsessed with her self image and material things. “Her name was Connie. She was fifteen and she had a quick nervous giggling habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors, or checking other people’s faces to make sure her own was all right.” (Oates, 83). Connie is always focused on appearance. She is always checking her own and other people appearances to see if she looks better than those around her. This focus on appearance leads her to misjudge arnold Friend, who is not at all what he appears. Next, …show more content…
Also, Connie is defined by the reactions of and to her by others. She is called pretty by many characters, and her mother asks her “You think you’re so pretty?” (83). This is an example of how her mother seems not to like her, although Connie suspects her mom “preferred her to [her sister].” (85). Arnold obviously thinks she is pretty, the first thing he says to her is “Gonna get you, baby,” (85) and calls her “cute” (86). She has a passive-aggressive relationship with her friends, as after she asks how a movie was, her friend says “You should know.” (85). Additionally, she is defined by what she says. Her early narcissism is shown when she draws “thick clear lines between herself and [other] girls” by calling another girl a “dope” (85). As she grows more and more unnerved by Arnold, she tells him and Ellie that “Maybe you two better go away” (89). Sometimes what one does not say can be just as important as what one says. As she becomes more and more afraid of Arnold, she says less and less. She eventually goes into a full blown panic attack, and stops talking altogether. Finally, Connie is defined by her actions. She threatens to call the police several times, saying “I’m going to call the police--,” but never actually
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