When a person is placed in an incredibly horrible situation where the outcome is unpredictable, many physical and emotional changes occur. Joyce Carol Oates' story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" places Connie, a typical teenager, in this situation. Throughout the story, sometimes using religious undertones, Connie's typical teenage language gradually changes from calm and somewhat curious to nervous and terrified. As the story begins, on a Sunday morning, Connie's family leaves to go to a family barbecue down the street. Connie is left alone and chooses to wash her hair instead of going to church. When she hears a car coming to her house, her heart starts pounding, she pulls her hair and says, “Christ. Christ. ", not in reference to the Lord or to religion in general, but because she is worried about the seriousness of her situation. look at. This gives an indication of how the author interprets religion in the story, neither important nor serious. As the story progresses, Connie's language takes an obvious turn. When Arnold Friend, someone she has seen but never spoken to, shows up at her door, she is somewhat defensive, but curious. “I’m not late, am I?” It's the first thing he says to her when she opens the screen door. Connie responds by saying, “Who the hell do you think you are?” ”, a typical response from someone in this situation. If a complete stranger showed up at my house and talked to me like we were best friends, I would react the same way. Throughout the story, Oates continues to use vulgar language to illustrate the story and show how much Arnold Friend knows about Connie. The more Arnold talks, the more he reveals his knowledge of Connie and the things and people around him. Soon, Arnold begins naming all of Connie's friends, assuring her, "I know everyone." Arnold also knows things about her that he would only know if he was with her all the time, "I... found out everything about you like I know your parents and your sister are gone somewhere and I know where and how long they've been will disappear, and I know who you were with last night..." Connie's fear of the situation sends waves of dizziness through her body, making her hands shake and making her " Her heart [is] too big now for her chest and its pumping was dripping sweat all over her.