Feminist Analysis of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates (Essay Example)

A perpetual conflict on sexism from men toward women is categorized as the prejudice to a person based on their gender. Joyce Carol Oates portrayed sexism in “Where are you going? Where have you been?” very thoroughly. Oates explains that women are being degraded in society by men, as the men manipulate females. Furthermore, women are influenced by men as men can be very persuasive which can lead to further incidents such as rape. Moreover, resulting in objectification playing a major role in women as men believe using women as objects is okay. When analyzed through a feminist lens, Oates' "Where are you going? Where have you been?" illustrates dehumanization toward women in society as they are scared of being objectified by men. 

Within society, females are often degraded by men and do not get the respect that they deserve. Over time, women have been controlled by men throughout a relationship as they are being influenced to stay with the man in order to make themselves happy. Women have been restrained by men through connections that often lead to unstable relationships and women are being devalued . Oates portrays this when Arnold says; “so come on out, it’s all over for you here, you don’t want your people in any trouble, do you?” (Oates, 12). Arnold is controlling toward Connie as he will not stop until he gets what he wants. In this situation he wants Connie to get into his car so he can take her to a secluded location to rape her. Connie is not getting the respect she deserves as a powerful woman because Arnold is refusing to leave the house unless she is with him. The manipulation comes into effect as Arnold convinces her that if she does not leave with him, the people she loves will get into trouble.  Oates illustrates that Connie is being degraded by Arnold and this creates a feminist lens by demonstrating that women should fight back when being looked down upon. Moreover, Benevolent Sexism is something men use to manipulate women into thinking that they are being complimented, although, it is only so men feel superior. Oates applies manipulation by stating; “promise, no one is coming in that house honey (Oates 10). Men manipulate women by using compliments or soft spoken words to get women to agree with what men want. Benevolent sexism is used when Arnold wants Connie to come outside and go for a ride with him. He compliments her which he believes will make it easier for her to break free from her horror and go along with him. Most men make promises they cannot keep, as they want women to be stuck to their side so they can control them to do what they want. Women are not respected in society by men as manipulation plays a key factor in gender roles.

Men are persuasive when it comes to getting what they want, which can lead to the scary thought of maltreatment. Men often compliment women and make them feel good about themselves so that women feel as if the men care for them. Oates writes that; "in a half-sung sigh 'My sweet little blue-eyed girl."' (Oates, 14). This compliment makes Connie feel beautiful about herself and feel comfortable with Arnold. At first, Connie does not want anything to do with Arnold and she feels extremely unsafe that he found her house when the two are complete strangers. Arnold proceeds to compliment and convince Connie to come outside because it will be a lot safer. Furthermore, this shows that men coax women into hanging out by degrading the people around them and making themselves seem like a better person. Oates shows manipulation through Arnold as he states; '“I’ll show you what love is 

like, what it does' ' he said, “you won’t need to try and get away”' (Oates, 13). The persuasion that Arnold is using on Connie is something that is hard to overcome. He uses his sweet words and looks to manipulate her into going for a ride with him. He uses the void in her life, which in this case is that her family does not love her, and he persuades her that she is better off with him in life than her own family. The love Connie feels when Arnold has made it clear that he will help her feel like she has a purpose in life, was comforting for her. Arnold knew that there were no promises to be kept, because he knew his motive before entering the house. Men convince women to do things by using compliments when it benefits the men and not the women. 

Objectification of women is a major issue that needs to be addressed more often because men believe they can treat women like objects. At the same time, women are often portrayed in a negative light, one that often emits and turns into misogyny. “'What are you going to do” stated Connie, as Arnold continued “Promise it won’t last, just two things, or maybe three.'” (Oates, 12). Arnold is going to rape Connie, therefore he implies he is going to do things to her for her own enjoyment, which is considered objectification. What is being done is that Arnold is treating Connie like an object, as he will rape her and then kill her. These objectification trends are on the rise which can create low self-esteem within women and make men feel more powerful. Moreover, misogyny is created through the eye of the man as men believe it is okay to objectify women. “It is as if Arnold was stabbing her with no tenderness, as she cried for her mother.” (Oates, 12). This portrays misogyny within the text as he was making her feel as if she needed her mother and she felt scared. This created hatred towards Connie because Arnold was making her feel impotent and worthless. This can tie into objectification as misogyny makes women feel powerless. Arnold makes her feel powerless as he stands over her telling her she needs to come with him or he will hurt her family. Connie feels agitated as she knows no one will be home for a while, so no one could help her in this citation. The objectification comes into effect as he controls her by not giving her a choice and reassures her that her family is not here to save her. 

Oates portrayed a feminist lens in "Where are you going? Where have you been?" as it portrays dehumanization toward women within society and women are objectified.  Women are being degraded within society as they are looked down upon by men. Females will often be influenced by men as they can be very persuasive when they are trying to get with a woman. Objectification is a major role that needs to be taken more seriously in society. Men play an important part in the sexualization of women and this is something that should be recognized by society.