Arnold Friend : Subliminal Temptations?

In 1966, Joyce Carol Oates published her short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”. Oates was inspired to write this story after reading about a serial killer that was referred to as “The Pied Piper of Tucson”. Oates was disturbed by the number of teenagers that this killer was able to persuade to help him and keep his secrets (Oates 1). Oates uses irony, imagery, and symbolism to support her theme of evil in this short story.

“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love” (Marilyn Monroe). Joyce Carol Oates is the author of the realistic allegory story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”. The story is about a young girl named Connie, who likes seeking attention from men, as a distraction from her problems at home. She meets a man named Arnold Friend, he goes after Connie, claiming he has to take her for a ride, but it is obvious he wants to do other things. Because of this character’s actions, it is determined that he is a representation of the devil. Through plot, characterization, and dialogue, Oates successfully portrays Arnold Friend as a symbolic Satan.

In the story “Where are you Going, Where Have you been?” Joyce Carol Oates tells us about a fifteen year old girl named Connie. Connie is confronted by a young man who is trying to persuade her to take a ride with him. He introduces himself as Arnold Friend and kindly asks her to come with him but she refused. He then threatens Connie and her family. She is then forced outside and leaves with Arnold Friend. Arnold Friend clearly symbolizes the devil through his physical traits, his knowledge of Connie, and his power over her kind of like he was hypnotizing her to go with him.

As in “where are you going, where have you been?” the theme they are trying to rule is evil and temptation lead to all things. As Oates is trying to show that hell through the character Arnold Friend, who is the devil, and Connie will be the low self a stem girl who will fall into committing a sin. As the story plays out Arnold Friend is the devil which as he is trying to take Connie and bring her under his wing and kill her. As the story, plays out they give clues that Arnold Friend is indeed the devil by a quote “Connie looked away from Friend’s smile to the car, which was painted so bright it almost hurt her eyes to look at it. It said the name, Arnold Friend”. He refers to her as a friend which is him putting on a show. Though what Carol

Joyce Carol Oates' short story "Where are you going? Where have you been?" 'runneth over' with Biblical allusion and symbolism. The symbols of Arnold Friend, his disguise, and the music that runs through the story contribute to an overall feeling of devilishness, deception, and unease.

In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Joyce Carol Oates uses characterization to foreshadow that Arnold is a kidnapper and that Connie gets Kidnapped. Arnold Friend is portrayed as a manipulator, which foreshadows that he will eventually do something like, kidnap Connie. Connie is portrayed as vain, which foreshadows that she will be a victim similar to getting kidnapped. Connie decided to go out with her friends. She spots a demonic looking man, across the street, who's looking at her. Connie, who's at home alone, sees a car pulls up in her driveway and in the gold, slogan covered, Jalopy are two male strangers. When she goes out to see who they are, what they want, she see’s that it’s the strange man that was staring at her when she was out with her friends. When you normally see strangers/strange people outside your home, you do nothing and stay inside. When she went outside you can tell that something is wrong. She will get kidnapped.

There are many notorious characters in literature, all with their own menacing qualities and depraved actions. None, however, have struck such a devastatingly creepy chord as Arnold Friend of Joyce Carol Oates "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" Seducer of young girls and embodiment of Lucifer, Arnold Friend is anything but a friend. Arnold Friend is presented through both actions and appearances, and these combine to diminish his likeability, while adding to his devilish persona. Although Arnold Friend's traits are never stated outright, they are presented through his speech and interaction with other characters, which ultimately creates a more impacting effect and lasting impression.

Arnold Friend is a seductive man, or should I say ArN OLD FrIEND with a dark appearance hiding something deeper, something evil? Arnold, posing as a teen-age boy, is none other than the devil himself, which shows in his words and actions, and in his physical traits. From the very beginning of, Joyce Carol Oates', "Where are you going, Where Have you been?" a certain number of religious references are interspersed throughout. These references help to maintain a biblical feeling, as well as to set a path for Friend's entry into the story. They also foreshadow that; powers beyond a human level will be presented. Friend looks like one person in the beginning, but as the story unfolds, he is shown as someone else or

Arnold Friend plays the perfect role for an archetypical devil character. The minute he pulls up to Connie’s house, he acts as if the two had known each other for some time and him showing up at random was something that happened all the time. At first, Connie is somewhat flattered by his compliments and smooth way of talking, until he starts to get more persistent on her coming outside. Just when she starts to get scared, “his smile assured her that everything was fine.” (pg 4, Oates) Arnold uses his charisma to ease Connie’s nerves, and it actually seems to work for a little

Initially, when Connie sees Arnold’s car on the street, she’s excited, she wants to meet whoever is driving, even carefully flirting with him in the beginning. However, as she talks with him, she slowly realizes he’s not the “cool guy” she first thought he was. Some details about him, from his hair to his shoes and his way of talking, seem oddly displaced, she tries to evaluate him “but all these things [don’t] come together.” (325) Despite her awareness of the danger awakening, it is too late; Arnold’s deceiving appearance induced a false sense of safety long enough for him to have power over her. Even more, the mere name of Arnold is misleading, the irony between “Friend” and his horrible behaviour taking all its meaning at the end of the story. As Arnold true personality and the danger he represents are revealed, the deceiving nature of his appearance is

Have you ever encountered a person who seemed to be one thing, but in reality was the exact opposite? Arnold Friend disguised himself and depended on Connie being gullible enough not to have an outlook on the circumstance he was leading her to. Connie had to take a double look at him. Suddenly, it hit her; something about that man just did not feel right to her. Who was he? What were his intentions? How did he know her? Arnold Friend exhibited a great quantity of manipulation over Connie to get her to fall into his cunning scheme. In the short story “Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?”, the author Joyce Carol Oates portrayed the character Arnold Friend as a mood altering sinister who desperately tried to be accepted by his prey.

“Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been,” is a testament of a true artist, because art can be interpreted into many forms and meanings. These meanings can differ from person to person, such as each reader of this tale can walk away with a different understanding of what the deeper implication may be. With the element of religious metaphors and allusions, the author is able to connect her short story to a much deeper value that pertains to today’s society and it’s current relations with religion.

Arnold Friend Is A Symbolic Satan Arnold Friend is a symbolic Satan in Oates ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been.’. In Joyce Oates short story ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been’. Connie encounters a demonic figure Arnold Friend. Through Further Analysis it is revealed that Arnold Friend represents a symbolic Satan which is emphasized through characterization, plot, and dialogue. Oates wrote Arnold Friend with a similar appearance of Satan from the legs.

The first perception of someone can sometimes be the complete opposite of who he really is. People fantasize or imagine perception of others they believe to be. In the short story “Where Are You, Where Have You Been”, Joy Oates mixes what is real and fantasy and it conflicts with the help of symbols. Symbols point out that Arnold Friend is anything but dangerous and a predator to Connie’s innocence and vulnerability. Connie realizes that her oblivion came to an abrupt end.

The representation of Arnold Friend in Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” has often been discussed by scholars. Many, if not most, have come to the conclusion that Friend is an incarnate of Satan himself. While the theory is both founded and legitimate, it is prudent that one examines Friend from different angles as well. This paper will argue that Friend is not only Satan (or a Satanic being), but also a personification of modern-day rape culture.