Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

Where Are You Going Where Have You Been is personally terrifying considering the fact that an intruder/rape/stalker scenario is on the list of most women's biggest fears. Oates establishes a universal sense of fear, regardless of gender, age, etc. mainly through distortion of time and reality; the entire story is highly surreal and unsettling. By the end of the story, the reader is questioning who this man (or whatever it is) was, what happened to the girl, was this a supernatural event, did any of this happen in the first place? The sense of uncertainty and not having concrete details about anything or anyone is what provokes true fear. It's almost like being in the dark, it's terrifying because you don't know what's there or what is happening (yes, I'm afraid of the dark). The story plays with the reader psychologically, touching upon universal fears and our main survival instincts.