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The protagonist of the story, Connie is a pretty fifteen-year-old girl who loves spending time with her friends and flirting with boys. Connie takes great pleasure in her appearance, so much so that her mother often scolds her for being vain. Nonetheless, Connie’s long blonde hair and general good looks make her supremely confident, and she enjoys the power she holds over boys her own age. Meanwhile, she feels suffocated by her home life and resents her mother’s attempts to control her behavior as well as constant, unfavorable comparisons between her and her older sister, June. In many ways a typical teenager, Connie is eager to grow up and date; she also loves popular music, which has come to shape her expectations of romantic relationships and life in general. As the story unfolds, however, it becomes clear that Connie is hardly as mature and powerful as she would like to believe, and her vulnerability attracts the attention of the sinister Arnold Friend. When Friend arrives at Connie’s house, he comments on how he was drawn to her because of her physical appearance, that her family will not return to help her, and that he intends to take her away with him and rape her. Over the course of their conversation, Connie becomes increasingly alarmed and disturbed, and her confidence and sense of control is slowly worn down until her free will is seemingly obliterated altogether. By the time she passively submits to Friend, she is experiencing such intense alienation that she sees herself in the third person and has seemingly accepted her fate. Though the story ends with her stepping out of her house, it is heavily implied that Friend later murders her.
Connie Quotes in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
The Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? quotes below are all either spoken by Connie or refer to Connie. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Quotes
She was fifteen and she had a quick, nervous, giggling habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors or checking other people's faces to make sure her own was all right. Her mother, who noticed everything and knew everything and who hadn't much reason any longer to look at her own face, always scolded Connie about it.
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This quote appears in the first paragraph of the story, and quickly establishes that not only is Connie fixated on her own appearance, but that her concern with how others view her appearance is a source of anxiety. In many ways Connie is a typical teenage girl, deeply concerned with what others think of her even as she expresses pride in her good looks. This suggests that, for all her confidence, Connie is still a vulnerable young girl. Oates further makes clear that Connie’s focus on her looks is a point of tension between her and her mother, who is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas
Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home: her walk, which could be childlike and bobbing, or languid enough to make anyone think she was hearing music in her head; her mouth, which was pale and smirking most of the time, but bright and pink on these evenings out; her laugh, which was cynical and drawling at home—“Ha, ha, very funny”—but highpitched and nervous anywhere else, like the jingling of the charms on her bracelet.
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Here, Oates explores and complicates Connie’s relationship to her own appearance. It’s clear that Connie understands that appearances can be deceptive, and intuitively behaves differently when at home with her family or out with her friends. This paragraph is striking for the intuitive way in which Connie seems to she different versions of herself; one is domestic and childlike, the other outgoing and social. This points to the fact that Connie is still in many ways an innocent young girl, and that her attempts to appear mature and seductive are, in a way, a sort of costume. Connie is also Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recus
She drew her shoulders up and sucked in her breath with the pure pleasure of being alive, and just at that moment she happened to glance at a face just a few feet from hers. It was a boy with shaggy black hair, in a convertible jalopy painted gold. He stared at her and then his lips widened into a grin. Connie slit her eyes at him and turned away, but she couldn't help glancing back and there he was, still watching her. He wagged a finger and laughed and said, “Gonna get you, baby,” and Connie turned away again without Eddie noticing anything.
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This paragraph appears after Connie has gone off from the plaza with a boy named Eddie. As she and Eddie make her way to the latter’s car, Connie sees Arnold Friend for the first time. Importantly, she has just been experiencing an intense feeling of pleasure. The proximity of her pleasure and the appearance of Friend, which Oates emphasizes with the words “just at that moment,” makes the two events seem closely connected, almost as though Connie has inadvertently conjured Friend. Friend’s predatory behaviour is also notable; he directly addresses Connie with a casual threat. Also, given Friend’s intentions seem Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam co
Connie sat with her eyes closed in the sun, dreaming and dazed with the warmth about her as if this were a kind of love, the caresses of love, and her mind slipped over onto thoughts of the boy she had been with the night before and how nice he had been, how sweet it always was […] sweet, gentle, the way it was in movies and promised in songs […]
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This quote appears after the rest of Connie’s family has left to attend a barbecue and she is home alone, sitting in the sun. Oates demonstrates that Connie has had multiple romantic encounters, and that they have all been positive and consensual. In this way, Oates establishes Connie’s level of sexual experience: the reader understands that Connie has always previously had a degree of control when dealing with boys, and suspects that she is still a virgin. She is on the cusp of womanhood, but still a young girl exploring what it means to be an adult. These lines also Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus co
“Now, these numbers are a secret code, honey,” Arnold Friend explained. He read off the numbers 33, 19, 17 and raised his eyebrows at her to see what she thought of that, but she didn't think much of it.
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As Arnold Friend continues his attempts to engage Connie in conversation and convince her to come out of the house and go for a ride with him, he draws her attention to his jalopy. Along with his name and the words DONE BY CRAZY WOMAN DRIVER, there is a Bible verse written on the car. This is often interpreted as being from Judges, the seventh book of the Old Testament (the 33rd book of the Bible if counting backwards from Revelation). Verse 19:17 of Judges reads, “When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a
He was standing in a strange way, leaning back against the car as if he were balancing himself. He wasn't tall, only an inch or so taller than she would be if she came down to him. Connie liked the way he was dressed, which was the way all of them dressed: tight faded jeans stuffed into black, scuffed boots a belt that pulled his waist in and showed how lean he was, and a white pull-over shirt that was a little soiled and showed the hard small muscles of his arms and shoulders.
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Friend has clearly adopted the style of a teenager to aid in his manipulation of Connie. At this stage in the story Connie is aware of some discrepancies in Friend’s appearance, but she has yet to decide what precisely these discrepancies mean. That she notices his muscles hints at her burgeoning sexuality, but also at the disturbing act that, however powerful Connie thinks she is because of her good looks, Friend is physically much stronger. Additionally, while she likes the way he is dressed, she also notes that his boots are “scuffed” and his shirt is “soiled.” The fact that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a d
“Yes, I'm your lover. You don't know what that is but you will,” he said. “I know that too. I know all about you […] I'm always nice at first, the first time. I'll hold you so tight you won't think you have to try to get away or pretend anything because you'll know you can't. And I'll come inside you where it's all secret and you'll give in to me and you'll love me—"
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This paragraph appears toward the end of the story, as Friend continues to stand outside Connie’s house and urge her to take a ride with her. The tension has gradually been building with Friend alluding to his sinister intentions, yet now he is explicitly telling Connie that he will rape her. These lines are especially disturbing because, not only is Friend describing sexual violence, he is also thrusting adult knowledge onto Connie, forcibly introducing her into the world of sex and ending the innocence associated with childhood and early adolescence. Also disturbing is Friend’s phrasing of how events will unfold; Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore
Arnold Friend was saying from the door, “That's a good girl. Put the phone back.” […] She picked it up and put it back. The dial tone stopped. “That's a good girl. Now, you come outside.” […] She thought, I'm not going to see my mother again. She thought, I'm not going to sleep in my bed again.
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This quote occurs after Connie has responded viscerally to Friend’s words and run back inside the house to attempt to make a phone call—despite Friend’s warning that he would come into the house if she were to do so. After screaming into the phone and seeming to lose consciousness, Connie opens her eyes to the sound of Friend’s voice instructing her. This is a pivotal moment as, given that Connie obeys Friend without question, it seems that he has worn down her free will entirely and she is no longer able to resist him. She is simply too shaken or Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam elig
“My sweet little blue-eyed girl,” he said in a half-sung sigh that had nothing to do with her brown eyes but was taken up just the same by the vast sunlit reaches of the land behind him and on all sides of him—so much land that Connie had never seen before and did not recognize except to know that she was going to it.
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This quote is the final sentence of the story. It is chilling that Friend’s last words are from a Bob Dylan song, as the symbolic role of music within the story has come full circle: what was once a source of pleasure and romantic fantasy for Connie is now entwined with dread and horror. Given that Connie has brown eyes, Friend’s words and their reference to a blue-eyes girl also demonstrate that Connie’s individual identity no longer matters. Her sense of self is has been completely eroded by Friend, and this emotional disappearance is emphasized by the fact of her Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessita
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Connie Character Timeline in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
The timeline below shows where the character Connie appears in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Connie is a pretty fifteen-year-old girl with a “nervous, giggling habit of craning her neck to...
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Connie often goes to the shopping plaza three miles away with her best girlfriend. They catch...
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On her way to Eddie’s car, Connie feels overwhelmingly happy, a feeling she connects to the music playing more than her excitement...
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Because it’s summer vacation, Connie is spending a lot of time around the house, dreaming about boys and the excitement...
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One Sunday, Connie’s family go to a barbecue. Connie refuses to attend, however, rolling her eyes “to let...
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While listening to the music, Connie pays “close attention to herself” and once more feels an intense joy that seems to...
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Connie goes into the kitchen and watches the boys in the car through the screen door....
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Connie is unable to decide whether or not she likes the boy and asks him about...
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As Friend stands beside the car, Connie observes his appearance; he is dressed the way all teenage boys dress (tight jeans, boots,...
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Friend lists the names of Connie’s friends and tells her that they’ve met before—she must just not remember him. He tells...
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...daze until Friend pounds on the car to get his attention. When Ellie turns toward Connie, she is shocked to realize that he isn’t a kid either—he has “the face of...
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Connie claims that her father is coming home soon, but Friend says, “He ain’t coming. He’s...
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Friend is unperturbed by Connie’s threats to call the police. Ellie asks if Friend wants him to pull out the...
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Friend repeats that that Connie should come out of the house herself, before asking “Don’t you know who I am?”...
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Connie picks up the telephone but can only hear a roaring sound and is unable to...
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Friend tells Connie, “The place where you came from ain't there anymore, and where you had in mind...
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