"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been"

Joyce Carol Oates wrote about an intense situation that to many, especially parents, can be hard to read. "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" deals with issues pertaining to adolescence and the problems that arise with such a difficult time period in teeangers lives. Oates also details this piece with the many pressures put on teens in our modern society, a problem that's been around for years and years. With realistic detail, Oates is capable of presenting a teenager, Connie, who many kids can most likely relate to, with her rebellion and dangerous tantics. She also presents the reader with Arnold Friend, a man who is capable of manipulating almost anyone into believing anything. As scary as this is, many vulnerable teenagers are affected by men like this the same way Connie was. Although I liked this short story for its truth and knowledge about the danger that lingers, I also disliked it for its detail, and the uneasy feeling it would give me while reading. I have younger siblings at home, and to think of my little sister being wooed by a man that's more than twice her age scares me. It was an eye-opener, to say the least.