The story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” written by Carol Oats is about a girl who flaunts her beauty, which ultimately leads to her kidnapping. After reading the story, the question is: was the author trying to show Connie's situation as fate or free will? The situation Connie found herself in was caused by free will. Connie's character played a large role in what ultimately happened to her. Connie's actions might give people the wrong ideas about her, and Connie leaves her house without physical strength. Connie's character plays a large role in what ultimately happens to her. Connie is a vain girl who thinks your looks are everything. She plays the stereotypical role of girls in today's society. She believes that as long as you look pretty and dress a certain way, you are everything. This is apparent when Oates writes, “Connie thought her mother preferred her to June because she was prettier” (980). By flaunting her looks, she could easily give a guy like Arnold Friend perverted ideas about her. This might allow them to see her as easy, which he did. Connie's personality also had two sides. The side she displayed at home was mocking and sneering, and the side she displayed in public made her look trashy. It seemed like she didn't know who she was or what she wanted to be. All she let us know was that she wanted "the caress of love", she wanted someone to be "gentle, kind, like it was in the movies and like that". 'was promised in the songs' (Oates 980). This could have been the reason why she didn't put up much of a fight in the end and headed straight into Arnold's arms. It almost seemed like this was what she wanted and dreamed of. Connie's actions also played a significant role in her kidnapping. Connie loved going out and hanging out with guys. She liked to go out with different guys, not the same one every night. Guys talk about girls like that and spread bad rumors about them. These rumors have undoubtedly not escaped Arnold Friend's ears. So, before he even saw Connie for the first time, he probably had the idea that she was easy. He said this towards the end of the story when he started naming people she knew and telling her that they had told him things about her (Oates 983).