Rebellion and Religion

                Joyce Carol Oates, who wrote the short story “Where are You Going, Where Have You Been”, uses a multitude of religious symbolism, and then contradicts it with rebellious thoughts within her text. This story in particular helps show the viewpoints of the people during the rock and roll time period and how that influenced society. Oates shows through this short story that rock and roll negatively influences the youth and it can be a danger to them all.

                The text starts with Connie embodying the idea of a true feminist through her beliefs and actions. Connie does not allow others to dictate her life and goes against everything that her parents enforce upon her. Her mother is continuously telling her to stop looking at herself and live like her plain sister June; but Connie disregards her and beats to her own drum.  She walks around in the town and has brief, one night relationships with boys of her own age or slightly older. All the while she is listening to the rock and roll music that is sweeping through the nation.

Many parents in this time period feared that rock and roll was dangerous for their children. The parents believed that the music placed rebellious ideas into the minds of teenagers and that they would act upon these ideas. Connie listens to this music constantly and helps embody the idea that the music is dangerous because of her lifestyle choices; the boys that always follow her, her tight clothing, and her stubborn attitude. At the end of the story, Connie is also listening to music playing on the radio, when she agrees to go with Arnold Friendly, who is characterized as being the devil.

Arnold Friendly is a mystery until the middle of the novel, when he shows up at Connie’s house. He is first introduced lurking in the corner of a crowded diner, and later reveals that he has been following Connie around for some time. The devil also follows his victims around and places sin within their lives. He is never seen, but the actions that he incites show that he is always lurking around, similar to Arnold. When Arnold convinces Connie to come with him, it is under her own volition; he does not force her, just encourages her to follow him. Connie also notices that Arnold wears a lot of face make-up, like he is wearing a mask to cover his face, like he doesn’t want her to know his true identity or motives. Shouting Christ was also a difficult word for him to say, implying that as the devil, he would never acknowledge Jesus and God.

Why Oates doesn’t characterize Connie differently is a puzzle though. Trying to show both rebellion and religious symbolism conflicted throughout the story. The religious aspect would acknowledge that Connie was a good girl, that followed the Lord and did not listen to disgraceful music and was tempted by the Devil. But instead she is characterized as an individual woman fighting for her music.