The Inspiration Behind "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"

Joyce Carol Oates

Background

    In 1966, Joyce Carol Oates published her award-winning short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” The inspiration for this story came from Charles Howard Schmid Jr, who had been responsible for the murder of multiple teenage girls in the early 1960s. Oates first read this case in a Life magazine article written by Don Moser. This article was titled, “The Pied Piper of Tucson: He Cruised in a Golden Car, Looking for the Action” (1).

Charles Howard Scmid Jr.

    Schmid was a small man, standing at just 5’3”. In an attempt to combat his insecurities, he would stuff his socks with rags in hopes to add a few inches. Although, just as Schmid's insecurities would grow, so would his madness. He blurted out “I want to kill a girl” while drinking alongside two of his future abettors (2).

Charles Howard Scmid Jr.
    His first victim would be Alleen Rowe, a fifteen-year-old high school sophomore. She was lured out by seventeen-year-old Mary French, an acquaintance of Schmid. French invited Rowe to come to a party with her. Although, French and Schmid drove her out to the desert, where she was raped and killed. His next victims would be sisters, Gretchen and Wendy Fritz, just sixteen and thirteen years old. The two girls told their parents they were going to see the new Elvis Presley movie, though they never returned. (2).

The End of Schmid

The Fritz Sisters

    Although Schmid had many abettors help him to commit these crimes, this would eventually be his biggest downfall. His trusted friend, Richie Bruns, who he had informed about these murders, ended up telling authorities of what he had done. He then led police to the graves of the Fritz sisters. However, authorities were unable to find the body of Alleen Rowe, so Schmid was unable to be charged with her murder. He was then sentenced to fifty years in prison. However, his sentence was cut short as two inmates stabbed him repeatedly, ultimately killing him (3).






1. Short Stories for Students. Encyclopedia.com. 20 Mar. 2023, https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/where-are-you-going-where-have-you-been.

2. Bovsun, Mara. “Pied Piper of Tucson: Twisted 1960s Killings by Charles Howard Schmid, Jr..” New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2018, https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/pied-piper-tucson-twisted-1960s-killings-charles-howard-schmid-jr-article-1.434271.


3. Giacomazzo, Bernadette. “The Story of the Elvis Fanatic Who Charmed Teen Girls in 1960s Arizona - Then Savagely Murdered Them.” All That's Interesting, 17 Feb. 2022, https://allthatsinteresting.com/charles-schmid.

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