The short story “Where are you going, where have you been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, is about a girl named Connie who thinks she is pretty and does not care much about the past and the future. Connie is always in the moment with no regard for what got her here or where the moment will take her. She acts like an adult while she is a teenager by trying to look pretty to get men’s attention. Connie’s lack of awareness and experience causes her to face unfortunate consequence. Connie’s misfortune consisted in Arnold Friend who seems to be sexually attracted to Connie. Connie is a typical 1960s teenage girl who has been the victim for both, the family irresponsibility and the cultural change in the united states.

In the 1960s, the usual was for the father to work in full time job and the mother to work in apart time job. Some of families let their children work and some of them refused to do so. The families that refused to have their children working did not have time to spend with their children, and rarely had time to eat a meal together (Childhood). This might explain why Connie’s father did not bother talking much, and why he never asks Connie the parental question “Where are you going, where have you been?” (Oates N). Moreover, in the 1960s, the children were allowed to walk to school alone, play after the school hours, and watch movies without fear of getting kidnapped. It seems that children had much freedom than the others children back in 1950s have had, and they have got off some boundaries. To Connie the freedom she got made her blind, she did not think about the past and the future. 

Connie’s was forced to face a horrible consequence because of her family irresponsibility and lack of monitoring. Her parents allowed her to go out with her friend without knowing where she is going or for how long she is going, if one of their parents had kept an eye on her, Arnold would not have had the chance to know about Connie. Moreover, her parents allowed her to stay at home alone and do not go with them for barbecue, if they have not done that and asks Connie to join them, Connie would not have to face Arnold Friend. The irresponsibility of her parents made the poor Connie to face this horrible consequences.    

Since 1960s to the early 1970s, the united states faced movements towards religion, then it called “The Great Decline”. The numbers of nonreligious families have increased, the church attendance and prayer became less frequent (The Great). The story indicates that Connie’s family was not religious. In the story, when Arnold Friend read off the key numbers from his car “33,19,17” he thought Connie would understand what he meant, but Connie’s “did not think much of” (Oates N). The numbers refer to the bible version, chapter and verse. The 33rd book of the end of the testament, chapter 19th and the verse 17th. The passage is “When he raised his eyes he got to see the man, the traveler, in the public square of the city. So the old man said: ‘where are you going, and where do you come from?” (The Eternal 3). The fact that Connie did not understand the meaning of these numbers gives a potential chance that she has not read bible and her family was not religious. To her bible is the songs she hears (Oates N).

In the middle of the 1960s, the world, especially in the united states, faced the sexual revolution. A great shift in traditional values related to sex and sexuality had happen. Sex became more socially acceptable, out of the strict boundaries that were consisted in marriage. That gives explanation of both Connie’s and Arnold’s character. Connie was concerned on getting men’s attention and Arnold was sexually desired to Connie. Though both have different thinking, both of them were dragged by the sexual revolution. For Connie, the sexual revolution let her has more freedom and less boundaries, she was allowed to sexually attract men. To Arnold Friend, the sexual freedom gave him the chance to be sexually attracted to Connie.

Potentially, the family irresponsibility and the cultural change dragged Connie to lose her innocence through a possible violent rape or murder at the hands of Arnold Friend. Connie could be treated as the maiden in the death and the maiden. The maiden is very similar to Connie, they both are youth, they do not care much about the past of future, all what they care about is to look beauty and both lost their innocents. In terms of the death and the maiden photograph, the maiden who is almost naked is looking to her reflection on the mirror ignoring the death who stands behind her and the guardian who tries to help her by pushing the time that the death holds which reflects to the maiden’s life.  It can be reflected that the death in the story “Where are you going, where have you been?” is Arnold Friend, who tries to get her innocence (The Eternal 3). 

It's possible that Connie was not the only girl who has been the victim of the family irresponsibility and the cultural change. Parents should held accountable, they need to take care of their children and do not let them have much freedom that could blind them, like it did with Connie. She did not think about the past or the future. Moreover, people should adhere their beliefs, do not let the change of cultural changes their beliefs and morals.   

