My impression on Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" Essay

Some of the best literature of all time comes from experience. Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" is one of her many very famous short stories. "Where Are You Going" was taken from the inspiration of a serial killer named Charles Schmid. It is obvious in this case that the authors work was reflected on her biography and life experiences. While Joyce Carol Oates experiences' growing up in the 1950's may have inspired her work, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" was mainly influenced by the American serial killer Charles Howard Schmid.
Joyce Carol Oates was born in Lockport, New York on June 16, 1938. She developed a love for writing as a child and went on to become an acclaimed, bestselling scribe known for her novels, stories, poetry and essays, winning the National Book Award for 1969's them (Joyce Oates Bio 1). She grew up on her parents' farm in which times were very tough for them because they had been hit by the Great Depression. Families who lived on farms worked extremely hard to support themselves at minimum level.
Although her parents had little education, they encouraged her hard work in academics. Joyce was an excellent student and excelled in high school. She then won a scholarship to attend Syracuse University, where she majored in English and was the valedictorian of her graduating class in 1960 (Joyce Oates Bio 1). While attending the University of Wisconsin to earn her masters degree, she met Raymond Smith. These two got married after three months of knowing each other.
Unfortunately, her husband died in 2008, shortly before the publication of her short story, Dear Husband. Oates suffered tremendously from suicidal thoughts and severe depression. She wrote about her time of grief in the memoir A Widow's Story. The following year in 2009, Oates married Professor Charles Gross, whom she met at Princeton University. Today, Oates continues to live and write in Princeton, New Jersey, where she teaches at Princeton University.
One day, Joyce came across a magazine and read an article about the murders committed by Charles Schmid. Immediately, she felt the need to make the stories of his crimes into one of her own published short stories. Halfway through reading the article about Schmid, she stopped so that her imagination could take over and write the ending to her own story. Therefore, Joyce shows many facts of the terrifying murders of Schmid and it is represented throughout her famous work "Where Are You Going"
"Where Are You Going" was first released in the fall of 1966. During this time in America, segregation was a huge problem and race riots were occurring. Another issue at this time was the murderer Charles Schmid. Schmid was known for his ability of picking up girls by hanging around high schools and attracting them. His first victim was Alleen Rowe, who he murdered with a rock in the middle of a desert and then later buried her in the desert sand.