“Where are you going, where have you been? » is a short story written by Joyce Carol Oates. Our protagonist is a fifteen-year-old girl named Connie. She is in a period of adolescent rebellion like many other children. Use music and fantasy to isolate herself from the world she hates. The only thing that interests her and the only purpose of her life is that there is such a boy who can take her away from the constraints of her family. This is what she calls “love”. Connie's life is very empty. Not only does she not care about her family, but also her behavior outside, what she pursues is only a momentary pleasure. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay One evening, while Connie was hanging out at a mall with her friends, she met a boy who had "fluffy black hair and drove an old convertible painted gold" saying "I'll get you." One day soon, when Connie was left home alone by her family. Arnold's boyfriend and his friend Ellie showed up with a fantastic look that Connie wanted and began to persuade Connie to go out. But when Connie starts to doubt and panic. They begin to threaten Connie out of the house using lies and belittling. At the end of the story, Connie obeyed the boy's will after her inner struggle, and her tragedy also unfolded, she will face the possibility of being harmed by this demonic boy and his friends. Although her tragedy was directly caused by Arnold, it was also indirectly caused by her family and herself. Connie's tragedy comes from two aspects: the suppression of men and the self-exclusion of women. Male characters appearing in this novel include Connie's father, her boy Eddie, Arnold Flander, and her friend Ellie Oscar. All of them have a connection with the heroine of this novel and her ultimate tragic fate. Of the three, the male characters most closely linked to Connie's tragedy are Connie's father and his son Arnold. Connie's father is a representative of American patriarchal society. He is the head of the family and one of Connie's closest relatives, but he only cares about himself. The lack of communication between him and his daughter made it difficult for Connie to feel the warmth and care of the family, but she felt deeply alone. In order to seek comfort that Connie couldn't have at home, Connie had to go out and spend time with her friend. This behavior is extremely dangerous for a beautiful young girl who does not have the basic ideas of society. The father's behavior is actually a kind of cold violence within the family. It was this cold domestic violence that forced Connie to leave home and face unknown dangers. Father couldn't give Connie enough security, only indifference. In the story, Connie's father does not have his own name, making his identity more universal. He can be anyone's father. As a male group, they dominate this society full of indifference and violence against women. Compared to Connie's father's cold violence against Connie, Arnold Friend directly insulted the girl with words, and it is likely that he would physically harm her. When he persuaded Connie to come out of the house, he kept vowing to destroy Connie's will. Additionally, Arnold Friend threatened Connie with words, which made Connie cry in a sad voice, she was trapped in this cry, just like she was trapped in this house. This metaphor suggests that Connie was controlled by Arnold Friend, just like herwas controlled by his family. Eventually, she left home under Arnold's threat and fell prey to the devil. At that last moment, Connie could only "see herself slowly pushing the door open, watching the long-haired body and head walk into the sunlight, while Arnold Friend waited." These words show that Connie clearly knew what awaited her. But she didn't have enough strength to protect herself from the danger outside the door. The situation at this moment and Bob Dylan's song "It's all over now, melancholy baby" are cleverly integrated: Connie's innocence and even her life are about to be destroyed, and Connie will turn into a poor baby sad. From Arnold Friend, we can learn not only about the domination of men over women, but also about the aesthetic standards that men set for women. The reason why Arnold Friend tempted Connie is that, by the aesthetic standards of the male world, Connie is a beautiful girl. In the conversation between Connie and Arnold Friend, referring to Connie's sister June, Arnold said, "And your sister, who wears a blue skirt, huh?" He always walks on high heels, this sad, pitiful worm, who doesn't look like you at all, darling! June was simply verbally abused by a man like Arnold simply because he was "normal, short and fat". Speaking of another woman, Mrs Hornsby, Arnold said: "She's too fat, I don't like them that fat, I like you, my dear." These unfair standards towards women have caused this dangerous thing to happen. Three female characters related to Connie appear in this short story: Connie's mother, Connie's sister June, and Connie herself. They have very different personalities in the story. The difference in personality creates different experiences in their lives. Connie's mother is a typical American housewife. She has no personality traits, but only appears as Connie's mother. She has no assets to make herself unique in society. She has to stay at home and become a housewife, but she cannot get any help from her husband. Connie's father left for work, and when he returned home, he was just waiting to receive services from Connie's mother. Respect the standards set by men for women. The role of women is to stay at home like Connie's mother and her sister June. Connie's mother kept blaming Connie's rebellious behavior using male norms towards women. Connie's mother also appeared as Connie's suppressor on the path to freedom and joy. She was once young and beautiful, but now she is old and declining, and her daughter Connie is young and beautiful. Connie's youthful beauty contrasts sharply with her own decline in appearance, which is why she always belittles Connie's thin daughter. What she devalued was not only her daughter, but also her own friends. “His mother, calling her sisters, complained to this one, and complained again to this one. Connie's mother never realized her submissive personality and passive situation. Not only was she happy with her situation, but she also set standards for Connie so that Connie would be in the same situation. When Connie couldn't reach this level, she used her mother's identity to insult Connie indiscriminately. She did not try to understand her daughter, but devalued them to show off. As Mother's Favorite Daughter, Sister June is a "trained" "angel". She has her own job as a secretary at Connie's school. Her work has been recognized by society as consistent with the role and identity of women. She is also an exemplary model of a woman and a good child. She.