In Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been by Joyce Carol Oates, there is gloomy weird diction. The first thing I noticed when reading this story was the weird attitude of the man outside, and how creepy he was acting. I was surprised by how the girl opened the door for the man. While reading, I noticed an underling theme or symbolism. I thought that the man tying to convince the women to let him in was symbolic of him forcing himself onto her. He was very smooth and seductive in his language toward her, as he tried to persuade her to do what he wanted. I think that this story shows how it is not the fault of the victim in these situations. The girl didn't have much of a choice in the matter, she was just trying to protect others.