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Arnold Friend Character Analysis Essay

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Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is the story of a girl named Connie. Connie may be the protagonist, but she is not a symbolic character as much as a typical teen-aged girl in the middle of the twentieth century. On the other hand, there is Arnold Friend, the antagonist, who is so full of symbolism that he is nothing but an allegorical figure. There are different interpretations of what, or who, exactly Arnold Friend symbolizes. Some say that he is the personification of temptation. Others hypothesize that the book’s dedication to Bob Dylan is somehow intertwined in Friend’s Allegory. However, the most widely accepted theory is that Arnold Friend is merely Satan, or one of Satan’s demons, coming to collect Connie’s …show more content…

This occurrence could be random, but that is not likely. This encounter likely happens due to multiple sins that Connie commits. These sins mostly consist of lying, not worshipping on the Sabbath, and dishonoring her mother and father. Oates clearly states in the story that Connie and her family blatantly disregard going to church on Sunday (Carol Oates 901). Another example from the story is that she lies to her family on a regular basis. She even goes to the extent that she is a completely different person around her friends than she is when around her friends (Carol Oates 899). Moreover, one of the Ten Commandments is that one should honor their parents. Connie may not necessarily dishonor her parents, but she does upset them, especially her mother. Connie angers her mother when she is asked if she would like to go to an aunt’s barbecue; Connie’s response was that she was not interested as she rolled her eyes (Carol Oates 901). Oates later described the emotion on Connie’s mother’s face as the rest of the family drove away “…her mother with a look that was still angry and not at all softened through the windshield…” (Carol Oates 901). These sins could all be considered everyday choices that could be made differently, and they could have also led to the introduction of the devilish Arnold

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A lot of clues in the story hinted that Arnold Friend wasn’t a friend at all, but was a demon that came to take Connie away. When Arnold Friend was first introduced, Connie kept an uneasy feeling about him and felt intrigued by his presence. For example, Arnold immediately starts to ask Connie if she wants to come for a ride. (Oates 1012). Arnold seems to add pressure to Connie from the start and is obviously not there just to take her for a ride.

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In the short story, “where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Arnold Friend tries to get Connie to do bad things to please him, which is revealed through arnold friend him Arnold Friend makes a promise to Connie at the drive-in-dinner In the short story it said “I'm going to get you baby”Oates. This foreshadows what is going to happen later on in the story it foreshadows that arnold will come for Connie and try to get her anyway possible .The

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In Joyce Carol Oates fictional short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” the majority of the story lies beneath the surface. More specifically than just the story, you realize that there is more to the character Arnold Friend than what may appear. The author has always remained silent and ambiguous about the real meaning of Arnold Friend’s true nature and she leaves room for the readers to make their own interpretation of him. Readers can analyze Arnold Friend and see him as the devil, he could just be the personification of popular music imagined by Connie in a dream, but Arnold Friend could also be the result of drug use.

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“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Essay Since it’s publication in 1966, Joyce Carol Oates’s short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” the character Arnold Friend has caught the attention of many critics and readers. Connie is a fifteen year old girl who has an encounter with Friend while she is home alone one summer afternoon.

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Arnold Friend’s character was thought to symbolize the devil coming to take Connie because she wandered too far down the path of a sinner. Symbolism is a crucial part of the story because it helps the reader read between the lines and see beyond the obvious meanings of things. Some will argue that Arnold Friend symbolizes the serial killer Charles Schmid, but Oates makes it very clear that Arnold Friend is a symbol of the devil. According to History.com, Joyce Carol Oates was born On June 16, 1938, in Lockport New York.

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In Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", the protagonist, Connie, embodies the dual nature of adolescence as she navigates the line between a desire for independence and the consequences of her vulnerability. Connie's preoccupation with her appearance, rebellion against her family, and attraction to boys

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And that perfectly describes what he is. He is basically an embodiment of those “trashy daydreams” that Connie said to be having earlier in the story. He is a deceiver. He has painted eyelashes, translucent skin, stuffs his boots, lies about his age and has hair which appeared to be a wig. Despite all this he is very appealing to Connie, which also tracks back to the stating on how naïve she is.

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Political figures develop their motivations equivocally through events, personalities and situations, to achieve their own personal and societal goals of authority. In the 1955 prescribed text, “The Crucible,” playwright Arthur Miller establishes the political motivations of characters through dramatised staging features. Similarly, in the 1964 related text, “The Times They are A-Changin’,” artist Bob Dylan insights authoritative ambitions in his audience through musical and poetic devices. The shared ideas of the modernist era such as the significance of religion and political hegemony are investigated by both composers in their respective texts. Due to the elegant composure of these texts, the responder completely comprehends the motivations of the characters represented.

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In Joyce Carol Oates’s short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” the main protagonist finds herself in a very hostile situation. With an all most fateful encounter with a man known as Arnold Friend. Forcing her to choose whether to run off with him or taking her by force. This man known as Arnold Friend to the reader comes off as almost a demon. A person who uses many temptations, word play, and threats to take advantage of the young protagonist Connie.

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In Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, Connie is a fifteen-year-old girl, who does not necessarily get along with her family. During the week, she often times goes to a shopping plaza with some of her friends. However, they sneak across the highway to go to a popular diner where the older crowd hangs out at. At home, Connie is often times arguing with her family. One day her family is invited to her aunt's barbecue but Connie refuses to go.

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"I just hate to leave her like that," Connie said earnestly, but the boy said that she wouldn't be alone for long.” (Carol Oates

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“But now her looks were gone and that was why she was always after Connie.” (Oates ). Also, there is another opportunity for friendship within the family, between Connie and her sister, however, that is lost in their rivalry and hostility. “Her sister was so plain and chunky and steady that Connie had to hear her praised all the time – by her mother and her mother's sisters.” ( ).

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With the lingering debates of Morality and Purpose, the human psyche is constantly challenged in our day to day lives. In the story of “Where did you go, Where have you been?” The characters of the story allows for several underlying themes to come to the surface in a story about Evil. The stories purpose of creating a dichotomy between Connie’s innocence and Arnold’s Evil allows for allegorical tones of sin to flourish as well the fears of reality to come merging in.

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“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” is about a teenager named Connie who is trying to come to terms with her transformation from childhood to adulthood. Through this process, Connie attempts to act older than she is an tries to gain the attention of boys. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” Joyce Oates portrays Connie as obsessed with men to symbolize how one’s obsession and narcissistic attitude can cause danger to seem surreal. In the short story, Carol Oates describes Connie as having two different personalities, one being a narcissistic attitude.

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In the coming of age story “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?” Joyce Carol Oates uses symbolism, conflict, and the third person to foreshadow fifteen-year-old Connie’s unfortunate, yet untimely fate. While one may think that the conflict stems from Connie’s promiscuity, it is clear to see her promiscuity is only a result to a much bigger conflict, her mother’s constant nagging and disapproval, alongside the lack of attention from her father. the author paints a vivid picture of what happens when a fifteen-year-old girl such as Connie goes elsewhere to find to find the love, attention, and approval that she lacks at home. All which is vital for her growth and wellbeing as a person.

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