Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

• Study Guide
• Group

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? | Connie's Tambourine Man: A New Reading of Arnold Friend

The critical reception of Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'' reveals a consistent pattern for reducing the text to a manageable, univocal reading. Generally, this pattern involves two assumptions: Arnold must symbolize Satan and Connie must be raped and murdered. No critic has yet questioned Joyce Wegs' assertion that "Arnold is clearly a symbolic Satan." Marie Urbanski argues that Arnold's "feet resemble the devil's cloven hoofs," Joan Winslow calls the story "an encounter with the devil," Tom Quirk maintains the story describes a "demoniac character,"...

[The entire page is 1597 words long]

Navigate

See Also:

• - Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? summary and study guide in the eNotes.

Tell a friend about Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? at eNotes.