Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” depicts a girl named Connie caught between two worlds: adolescence and adulthood. Like most teenagers, as Connie explores her surroundings, numerous temptations confront her. Connie’s mother and her own intuition attempt to protect her from the wickedness in society, but sometimes the allure of these enticements “cry ‘to one’ like a fire in the sun”(Dylan 613). Joyce Carol Oates understands the powerful …showed first 75 words of 778 total…

…showed last 75 words of 778 total…immaturity is shown through her inability to successfully assess the situation she faces. If Connie heeded her misgivings earlier, then she would not have had to submit to Arnold. A more mature and experienced person would trust their apprehensions. By the end of the story, Connie finally does realize the danger that confronts her, but by then it is too late and all she is left with are the sick fantasies of a twisted mind.