Arnold Friend Character Analysis

The story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates, is a one where the idea of how girl who struggles with wanting to be a mature woman, faces her demon full form. The protagonist of the story is Connie, a 15-year-old rebel girl, obsessed with her look; and through fault of her own, meets the antithesis of herself, the antagonist of the story, Arnold Friend. Connie seeks to be a mature adult and desires an emancipation from her family. Seeing herself as mature woman through the desires of her attraction by other boys and men, as well as her mother. Its this same desire which acts as the main fault for her character. Consistently presenting a self-absorbed attituded (like a typical teen), while still presenting the want

Is the classical representation of a monster. That is, he is an amalgamation of features and attributes which resemble the protagonist and their faults. Connie wants to be mature, to which Arnold obliges from a sexual aspect and not a romantic one. Arnold is a man with a mashup of both young an old. His pattern in speaking seems to match that of the current generation of adolescents, and the persona he presents is that of teenage boy, even claiming to be eighteen. However, this is countered when Connie notes that “he was much older—thirty, maybe more” (315), a fact that frightens her. What Arnold is to Connie is a challenge of her want to be an adult, and a trail of her ability to deal with adult issue. Such as a man who singles her out sexual reason. Her wish to be an adult is something she seeks while passively avoiding it. Her avoidance is marked by day dreams of puppy love romance, like a typical teenager; yet, her attractive flaunt to be mature is presented as if she seeks to be an

Connie has a conflict with her mother, presented in the story as they continually fight; her mom generally starts the conflict, "Why don 't you keep your room clean like your sister? How 've you got your hair fixed—what the hell stinks? Hair spray? You don 't see your sister using that junk" (308). Connie has a conflict with June, her sister. A repetitive notion made in the story, as June is used as a meter to compare Connie too; which naturally, no one would like: “June did this, June did that, she saved money and helped clean the house and cooked and Connie couldn 't do a thing, her mind was all filled with trashy daydreams” (308). Ellie 's character, even as quite as he remains, presents a conflict with Arnold. First when he over steps his boundary with Arnold and asked "You want me to pull out the phone?" (318), then being told by Arnold to "Shut your mouth and keep it shut" (318), only to ask about the phone again. To which Arnold responds with more conflict: "you 're deaf, get a hearing aid, right? Fix yourself up. This little girl 's no trouble and 's gonna be nice to me, so Ellie keep to yourself, this ain 't your date right? Don 't hem in on me, don 't hog, don 't crush, don 't bird dog, don 't trail me” (318). Arnold Friend, the ultimate conflicting person on the story presents Connie with conflict when she 's asks him to leave, only for him to say "we ain 't leaving until you come with us" (316). The