7. "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"

This story was so creepy. It also probably did not help that I read it when I was alone in my room late at night. I have to say, though, that it is because it was beautifully written that the story became so creepy.

I think that after discussing dialogue in class and trying to write it myself, I have a new appreciation for some good dialogue in a story. In "Where Are You Going..." the dialogue creates so much suspense and tension. I was on the edge of my seat as I was reading the back-and-forth lines between Connie and Arnold. It was so impressive to me that a lot of the lines of dialogue stood on their own. When I was writing my own dialogue, I was trying so hard to focus on setting the context for each line, whether the character whispered or yelled, and what the tone of his or her voice was. I think that Oates was able to set up the scenes in this story so well that by the time the dialogue rolled around, I was already immersed in exactly what was happening.

We watch the tension build as Arnold's statements get more and more aggressive toward Connie. He starts by offering her a ride in his car, then starts calling her "honey" and saying that he will be her lover. If that would not create tension between you and a total stranger who has shown up at your house when you are completely alone, I don't know what would.

Ultimately, I feel as though Oates initially created an atmosphere of tension by setting the scene. She added a lot of rising action so that I was really just waiting for something to happen. For me, the tension heightened a lot when Arnold's smile fell and Connie could tell that he was an older man (talk about stranger danger). Then the dialogue carried the tension throughout the rest of the story. I almost felt as though there was just a really high-frequency note being held throughout the entire story, and I was just desperate for the tension to be broken.