"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"

Here are some ideas to consider for your writing journal and/or your first essay:

Consider Oates’ story in relationship to the introduction to Chapter 4: The Heroic Journey (pp. 42-43). How is this story about "coming of age," or "loss of innocence"?

Joyce Carol Oates has said that “Arnold Friend is a fantastic figure: his Death, he is the ‘elf-knight’ of the ballads, he is the Imagination, he is a Dream, he is a Lover, a Demon, and all that.” How are these remarks helpful in clarifying our understanding of the story and the idea of the heroic journey?

What are the implications of the story’s title? How can this help our understanding of the idea of the heroic journey?

What are the implications of the story’s ending? What comments does the story make about the values of contemporary American life?

Check out the website on the story and the film adaptation Smooth Talk. Scroll down to read the fascinating article about the origins of this haunting story:
http://jco.usfca.edu/works/wgoing/

Discuss the relationship between music and adolescence, using examples from the story to support your ideas.

Is Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” still relevant to contemporary teenage culture? Use Kowinski’s “Kids in the Mall” (68-71) and/or “Our Hurried Children” (328-339) as a resource to construct an argument.