Connie is the fifteen-year-old protagonist of the story "Where are you going, where have you been?" by Joyce Carol Oates. She has emotional conflict as Connie recognizes that she doesn't want to go with Arnold, but also realizes that she has little choice, as Arnold Friend threatens her family and leaves her with little choice. The conflict between Arnold and Connie clearly distinguishes good and evil with complex aggression. As Arnold advances, he starts out sweet by trying to lure Connie into the car with the music box, but soon becomes aggressive when he sees that she is asking him his age and that she doesn't want to go with him. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The suspense arises when Connie first meets her friend Arnold when he says "I'll get you, honey." The interest is the bigger concern about how he got all that information about Connie's family, how he knew they weren't coming back and then what will happen to Connie when she goes with him. The title itself is a mystery and makes us reflect on the meaning of the words "where are you going, where have you been?". On page 9, “The place you came from is no more,” Arnold tells her, “and the place you planned to go has been obliterated.” This is an example of Connie's dilemma as she faces Arnold Friend, who wants to take her away from everything familiar and into the unknown. The climax and turning point are the same because this is where Connie finally realizes the threat Arnold poses to her too and walks away from the door closing the door. But Arnold threatens to harm her family if she doesn't come with him. Connie becomes obedient to Arnold and nearly breaks down as he does everything he says and walks out the door. Overall the story uses third person point of view which is consistent throughout the story. The theme of the story is sexual violence which is depicted by Arnold when he forcefully targets and manipulates Connie due to her beauty and young age. The central idea is the threat of sexual violence especially among adolescents. The theme of sexual violence reinforces popular notions of life such as morality. The story is set in the suburbs of an unknown city in the United States. This setting is essential and contributes greatly to the story by providing insight into Connie's teenage life, particularly in the town's social scene. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay To sum up, the author's imaginative style is very appropriate to the nature of the story. For example, the author brings an image of Connie into the reader's mind through the description: "Connie had long, dark blonde hair that attracted everyone's attention, and she wore part of it pulled up on her head and blown out and the rest of it he dropped it on his back.'The character, Connie, is the main interest of the story. This is because the story revolves around her from beginning to end.