The world of a teenage girl in a literary work is the meaning of the transition to adulthood that faces the aggression of an old demon . The transition to adulthood is an important stage in the lives of adolescents. In Joyce Carol Oates' work "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been", the story has a descriptive explanation. The meaning of the story can be examined by the readers' opinions. The teenager's efforts to make her boys sexually attractive and seductive have been noticed by Arnold Friend, a bizarre and confusing character, who attacks the teenager.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay According to Oates, the story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” is based on a true incident. The two main characters in the story are Connie, a 15-year-old girl, and Arnold Friend, an older allegorical character. Connie, as a teenager, is oppressed by her beauty and her desire to be attractive without realizing the danger of her actions and appearance. She often goes out with her friends to a local mall and drive-in restaurant. Connie lacks parental supervision as she transitions into adolescence and independence. Readers can observe that there is a disconnect in the relationship between Connie and her parents. Connie's mother never had any problems with her eldest daughter moving around; therefore, "when Connie wanted to do this, her mother had no objection." On the other hand, his father was often absent and “he didn’t take the trouble to talk to them much”. Even though they were irritated by his ways, they never questioned his actions. Connie's actions were noticed by Arnold Friend, who immediately told her "I'm going to have you, baby." Even though Arnold appears with an unidentified past to readers of the story, he is presented with a strange and ambiguous character. He attacks Connie at home while she is alone with "an open jalopy, painted a shiny gold" and her friend Ellie. His interaction with Connie is strange, filled with secret codes and special signs. The signs and numbers written on the car and the x sign it makes in the air leave readers wondering what they represent. He attempts to charm Connie at first, but becomes apparent to readers that he is not who he claims to be when Connie refuses to accompany him. He is an older man with shabby black hair that resembles a wig, a masculine build, and stuffs his boots to appear taller. It seems that Arnold is attracted to young girls; therefore, he tries to present himself as a younger man. He manipulates Connie by knowing everything about her, her weaknesses, her appearance and her family. He locks her into a conversation that he can take control of, and he finally manages to convince her to come with him. The dominant idea of ​​the story is the evolution between youth and adulthood. In "Where Are You", when Arnold approaches Connie and says, "I'm your lover." You don’t know what it is but you will know,” may represent the search she had undertaken to achieve maturity. Additionally, by analyzing his name, readers may be able to understand the reason why he added the last name Friend. Dropping the r's in Arnold Friend will spell out an old demon that represents a very mean or cruel person. In the story, Arnold's mannerisms represent a sociopath. Readers' emotional response is affected by the brutal outcome of an innocent teenager's quest for independence. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized item now..