The objectification of women in society has been an ongoing struggle. The women’s rights movement which had occurred between the 1960s to 1970s was an empowering social rights movement that was meant to give women equal footing in society.  However, they were still portrayed as sexual objects who served the purpose of satisfying men. Joyce Carol Oates published the short story “Where are you going, Where have you been?” to display the actions of the antagonist Arnold Friend, to Connie, a young girl who symbolized a woman’s place in society. Oates comments, critiques and illustrates the society in 1960s America through the explicit content in her story as she discusses often divisive subjects such as the sexualization of women while implementing Freudian concepts such as the id, ego, and superego within Connie to show how society has become an uncivilized wasteland encouraging the objectification of women. 

America during the 1960s had a certain belief surrounding women which labeled them as objects that fulfilled men’s sexual desires. They were exploited under severe conditions to fit the ideals of society. During the early 1960s, young girls were “raised…to be sexually charged and hyperaware of their public appearances, but ultimately women were told to channel their sexuality into marriage and procreation.” (O’Keefe 56). This can be seen in the events that took place in “Where are going, Where have you been?” as Oates addresses these issues as she conveys the message through Connie as she was “…checking other people’s faces to make sure her own was all right.” (1). She felt that if she was superior in terms of appearance all things would come to her naturally, including her social life with men. The majority of Connie’s outings involved her and her friends going to malls, hanging out, and talking to older men. Because Connie has devoted her time to socializing with men, she makes it a priority for her to be in a relationship. Similarly, the women in America at this time were pushed to do the same as they were taught, “…and if one rejects those attributes she is doomed to a life of loneliness and evil-doing” (O’Keefe 57). 

Oates characterizes Connie as a girl who was infatuated with her appearance and constantly sought male validation. Oates says “…she knew she was pretty and that was everything…” (1), this exemplifies the obsession she had for beauty, which also made her psyche revolve around the perception that only beauty would satisfy her sexual desires. A distorted perception of women was demonstrated that played into the belief that women needed to win approval from males to feel validated. For instance, when Arnold spoke to Connie he said: “I don’t like them fat.” (Oates 34). We can see how Oates describes how men are only concerned with a woman’s beauty. America during the 1960s projected the image that you must be pleasing to the eye for happiness, but instead, women were viewed as being walking sexual objects. A popular example was Marilyn Monroe who was seen as the biggest sex symbol of her time she was “the dumb blonde persona that men fawned over and women tried to emulate in millions of dollars in cosmetics every year.” (O’Keefe 59). This perception greatly altered how women viewed themselves and their self worth. It made women feel as if they needed to be considered ‘acceptable’ by societal standards and the need to prioritize their appearance to appeal to others. The over sexuality and objectifying of women through such trivial issues and biases during the 1960s was what Oates epitomizes in her story.  

There were three major concepts in Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, the id, ego, and superego. Freud defines the id as “only a striving to bring about the satisfaction of the instinctual needs subject to the observance of the pleasure principle.” (1). The id is described to satisfy one’s wishful impulses and desires without considering possible repercussions. Connie’s id is seen in her desire for sexual attention because had great care for how she looked in males’ eyes. Her actions would reflect this as she would constantly examine herself, “nervous giggling habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors” (Oates 1). These actions were similar to the ideas associated with women in society, especially in 1960s America stating that “Girls became obsessed with the fantasy of risky behaviors that satisfied personal growth or got the attention of handsome men…” (O’Keefe 62)”. This obsession is what led to them being fixated on their appearance. Women were no longer cautious nor attentive when it came to protecting themselves and were indifferent when it came to men objectifying them in harmful ways. Oates portrays this in her short story as she reveals Connie’s tendency to continually inspect herself so that she maintains a good appearance, which reflects her willingness to win the appreciation of others. This can also be found evident during her confrontation with Arnold. Connie was so blinded by her id that she disregarded the dangers of the situation she was in. She was not in a safe environment, she was home alone and talking to a strange man, yet she still paid close attention to Arnold’s physical characteristics. “Connie liked the way he was dressed…Even his neck looked muscular.”(Oates 24). Although Connie was fearful at first she did not hesitate to notice these features. She was also pleased with the conversation he made as he complimented her physical features saying “You’re cute…Don’tcha believe me, or what?” (Oates 18). She disregards any moral aspect of the situation and succumbs to her desire of getting attention from men. The desires she felt for Arnold let her lose control of any sense of reality. She caves into those desires to receive that sense of pleasure, not caring if Arnold sexually looked at her.

The ego is the next Freudian concept displayed in Connie’s character. Essentially what the ego does as Freud explains is “In that way it has dethroned the pleasure principle which dominates the course of events in the id without any restriction and has replaced it by the reality principle.”(Freud 1). In regards to Connie, her ego became more apparent as she further interacted with Arnold. She begins to realize the situation she is now in, “She said suddenly, “Hey, how old are you?”(Oates 32). Her id was now subdued and overthrown by her ego, which is signified in her change in behavior. Connie tries to take control of the situation and build a wall as her id is now suppressed and her ego is behind the wheel. A major event that reveals the ego, is when Arnold is persistent about Connie joining him for a ride. She replies to Arnold with “I don’t know.”, “I got things to do.”, “Things.” (Oates 31). This shows that she is reluctant to go in, which contrasts with her previous actions due to her ego being in effect. 

The superego is seen as the story approaches the end when Connie faces the dangers caused by Arnold. As Arnold invades Connie’s home and threatens her she utilizes her superego to morally situate what was happening to her. Freud says “The superego applies the strictest moral standard to the helpless ego which is at its mercy; in general it represents the claims of morality, and we realize all at once that our moral sense of guilt is the expression of the tension between the ego and the superego”. (3). Connie applies this as she gives in to Arnold’s threats of hurting her family, and goes with him “She was hollow with what had been fear but what was now just an emptiness. All that screaming had blasted it out of her.” (Oates 39). Connie’s sacrifice was a result of her superego as she does what is morally correct for the wellbeing of her family. 

Furthermore, the overall message behind “Where are you going, Where have you been?” is Oates commenting and critiquing on society’s view of women and how they are objectified and seen as sexual objects, who are constantly abused and exploited. As Connie serves to be a symbolic figure representing women in America during the 1960s, she shows how women were only taught to be infatuated with their looks and to fulfill the desires of men. The Freudian concepts of the id, ego, and superego displayed within Connie allows for the recognition of what society has degraded to in its treatment of women.