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“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”
I thought of this story earlier today because I was reminded of how utterly terrified I felt when I first read it as a teenager. I was thinking of this because of how utterly terrifying it feels to be a woman in America today.
For those who may not have read this work, here is the Wikipedia entry:
The author of this work, Joyce Carol Oates, has said she was partly inspired to write it by the Bob Dylan song, “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.” I don’t want to insert any spoilers here, but the chilling effect of this work is of a young teenage girl, feeling frightened of an older man who is outside her house in his car, knowing that the young girl is also alone in the house.
Symbolically, I think perhaps it’s fair to say that a lot of us women can relate to the young girl in the story, because whether we’re in the house alone or not, there’s a pervasive sense of extreme unease in being a woman in America right now. The character in the story, Connie, ultimately begins to feel helpless and as if she has no choice — and, that’s an absolutely horrific way to feel as…
