Death and Reality in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates :: Where Are You Going Where Have You Been

Death and Reality in "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates        Joyce Carol  Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" is about a young girl's  struggle to escape reality while defying authority and portraying herself as a  beauty queen; ultimately, she is forced back to reality when confronted by a man  who symbolizes her demise. The young girl, Connie, is hell- bent on not becoming  like her mother or sister. She feels she is above them because she is prettier.  She wants to live in a "dream world" where she listens to music all day and  lives with Prince Charming. She does not encounter Prince Charming but is  visited by someone, Arnold Friend, who embodies the soul of something evil.  Arnold Friend symbolizes "Death" in that he is going to take Connie away from  the world she once knew. Even if she is not dead, she will never be the same  person again, and will be dead in spirit.