"Where Are You Going Where Have You Been" Joyce Carol Oates

Bad GIRL! A tease.
I hope my daughter doesn't turn out like the main character in this.
I am pretty sure she won't. Why? Because my daughter has me.
This girl doesn't seem to have a father. Her name is Connie.
Her rebellion personality , I believe, is the manifestation of the dull and damning lifestyle of her mother. Her mother hates that Connie is good looking and catches the eye of the boys. Connie is upset that her sister who is not a looker is treated better. At least in her eyes.  It sounds like there is no father figure in the picture. The lack of a father figure forces her to find attention from the boys. This makes her an easy target that teenage boy hope for.
She is a daydreamer that dreams about boys, fun, and parties all the time.
She has a double life. In her mothers company she looks, acts and dresses one way. When she is out with her friends she looks, acts and dresses another way. I understand that this is normal for a teenage girl to do.  I still do believe that the story would change greatly if there was a loving father figure in the picture.

The story goes on to describe an encounter she has with a new young boy she meets. An encounter that doesn't go as planned.

It's the same story told again and again about girls who are careless and free with the boys. They eventually land one that turns them into the typical white trash lifestyle living int a trailer with a bunch of dirty kids running around with a PittBull chained up in the front.

Story is not my kind of story....