Tainted Love: Tracing Connie’s Trauma Through Music in Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”

“Tainted Love” invites a new reading of Joyce Carol Oates’s critically acclaimed short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by analyzing the story’s evolving musical elements through a fusion of trauma studies and sound studies. Early in the story, 1950s popular music guides protagonist Connie in navigating her life and misleads her about the implications of having sex with Eddie before she is ready. After her sexual encounter, popular music abandons her and forces her to navigate the subsequent sonic advances of Arnold Friend alone. In exploring how the evolution of sound in the story connects to Connie’s sexual trauma, this article aims to uncover another avenue of analysis through which to interact with Oates’s impactful short story.