About the Author
Joyce Carol Oates was born in 1938. As a child growing up in Lockport, New York, her preparation for her future career began early. Before […]
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?
Setting
This story was first published by the literary journal Epoch in 1966 and was included in Oates’s 1970 short story collection, The Wheel of Love. […]
Literary Qualities
The first line of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”- “Her name was Connie”-signals that the story will be told by a third-person […]
Social Sensitivity
Interest in equal rights for women was a subject of great controversy during the early years of Oates’s career leading up to “Where Are You […]
Ideas and Topics for Discussion
Topics for Discussion 1. Read the 1966 Life magazine article, “The Pied Piper of Tucson,” which inspired Oates’s story, and compare the fictional and journalistic […]
Related Titles and Adaptations
Daphne du Maurier’s classic gothic novel Rebecca (1938) is a tale about the psychological manipulation of a young bride by her wealthy, troubled husband, Max […]
Themes and Characters
The tale of an insecure, romantic teenage girl drawn into a situation of foreboding violence, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” presents several […]