Problem:
The threat of violence populates much of the writing of Joyce Carol Oates (b. 1938). Why does the main character, Connie, in "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" go to the car with Arnold Friend? What is she symbolically leaving? What is she about to experience? What are the likely consequences of her decision? What does she want out of life? (Option: The person of violence, Arnold Friend, is described symbolically as "the devil." Collect those descriptions and project what his motives might be in convincing Connie to leave the house and join him in the car.)