Questions to "Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?"

Group 1, Question 3:

In the story “Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?” the main character in my opinion is Connie. The whole story focuses on the decisions and person that Connie is. She is the girl that wants to go out to have people notice her. Arnold Friend in the story is just another viewer of Connie’s actions, but he takes advantage of that. He is like me, the reader, because he sees all that Connie does and soaks it in just like the reader. The only thing different is that he is able to put himself in Connie’s way. Connie is the main character in the story.

Group 2, Question 2:

Arnold Friend is the man who is obsessed with Connie and all that he does. He is a stalker, rapist, and in my opinion a potential murderer. I think that his name is appropriate because it gives the people he meets an illusion that he is a really nice, sweet guy. He can use it as a method of trickery. He says to people that his name is Arnold Friend, and that he wants to be their friend. He uses his name to woe women. The significance of his car, clothing, and language I believe is that it shows that he is trying to be cool and trying to be slick. I think it shows that he is older and knows what he is doing and knows what to say to get girls to go for him.

Group 3, Question 1:

In the story, the numbers 33 19 17 are written on Arnold Friend’s car. Some believe they are significant in that it means the 33^rd book of the Bible, Judges and chapter 19, verse 17, it says the words “Whither goest thou? And whence comest thou?” These words are essentially the same words as the title of the story, “Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?” Maybe Arnold Friend is saying to the world that they better watch out because he is watching you. Some believe that it is a sexual reference because when you add the three numbers together, you get 69 which is a sexual expression. I think that maybe the numbers are the ages of girls he has raped or killed.

Group 4, Question 3:

The setting of the story in the small town with the theater and drive-in restaurant and such is perfect to set the mood of the short story. It is important that the story is set like this because it shows that even creepy stalkers are in the most normal places. I do think that the story could be placed in a different setting, but it would be quite a different story. The setting of this story really brings the story into one’s own life because it is so normal. Oates chose this setting because it is similar to Tucson, Arizona, the place from which the story was inspired. This story was inspired by some murders that happened in Tucson, Arizona, so Oates described a place probably similar to Tucson.