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Conflict in ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been’

In her story ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been’, Joyce Oates uses a lot of ironical texts as a mockery among the characters that are protagonists and antagonists. Connie is the protagonist in the story, a girl who at the age of 15 years had more problems than any other person in the story. She strived on her looks, boys and her friends to whom she used to look directly to affirm that her face was alright. Connie received less attention from her family, and therefore she sought attention from others. Connie has had various conflicts with her antagonists, Connie’s mother is one of the antagonists, and they have an external conflict.

Connie’s mother is tired of her daughter’s behavior and often scolded her for looking onto the faces of others. It is ironical that Connie’s mother makes negative comments to her daughter in an attempt to calm Connie’s behavior. She says “Stop gawking yourself. Who are you? You think you’re so pretty?” (Pg. 453) Being against her daughter and scolding her is a sign that she is an antagonist opposed to her daughter about the strong urge of getting attention to her looks. They therefore despite being a family engage in an external conflict on looks. The comments made by Connie’s mother are ironical in that, she was once pretty at her younger age and at her time prettiness was everything, but as her looks were gone, she was kind of jealous of her daughter who at her young age is pretty.

Connie is struck between an internal and external conflict that has been resulted from her friend Arnold. Arnold is the major antagonist in the story and is willing to provide the much needed sexual attention to Connie. Connie was a girl who was in dire interest to explore her sexuality and thus she wants men to find her attractiveness and desire her. Arnold gets to fall in love with Connie, though it does not begin as a conflict, but as a reciprocation of the desire for attention and notoriety. Arnold becomes so emboldened with his advance to Connie and his desires to have Connie is so strong. It is here that the two types of conflict arise, both internal and external.

Connie has been having a deep desire for attention to men, and this leads her to have issues with her mother. Despite this, she continues with her explorative nature on men, and this is here her friend Ellie introduces her to Arnold. Arnold wants Connie so badly, and he goes an extra mile, he goes to Connie’s home. Despite having the deep desire on men, Connie ironically decides that she doesn’t want Arnold terming him as not being the type either. She decides to turn them off telling them that they have to go away. The two men refuses to go saying that they can’t leave without her since they had come to take a ride with Connie since it was on a Sunday. Arnold says, “We ain’t leaving until you come with us” (Pg. 460) implying that Connie had decided not to go out with them.

Connie gets herself into internal conflict, she really needs men but at this time, she no longer needs them, and she wants to send them away. He is not fascinated with the looks of the men that she is to go out with and this divides her heart. The men whom she is dealing with seem to be much old but wants to look younger far much than they are. And this leads to the development of the external conflict between Arnold and Connie especially when they threaten to harm her family; this is more of irony as what was once a willing bargain has turned to be a forceful one.

Work Cited

Joyce Oates ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been’. Pages 453-466.