Arnold Friend Symbolism Analysis

Connie starts out in the story as someone that is self-absorbed, concerned for no one but herself. Arnold Friend is really the same way. He tells her that he saw her “that night and thought, that’s the one” (Oates 480). In spite of the words he uses, the reader knows that Arnold does not have any true feelings for Connie because he says “My sweet little blue-eyed girl” (Oates 483). Arnold is oblivious to the fact that Connie has brown eyes. “In Arnold’s view, Connie’s personal identity is totally unimportant” (Wegs 3).

One of the symbols in the story are the sunglasses Arnold wears. He wears them to hide himself from the real world and to hide what his intentions are to do with Connie once she gets in the car to go for a ride with him. Arnold Friend himself also plays a symbol in the story. When you see the name, “Arnold Friend” and take the R out you will get “An old friend” or if you take both R’s out you will get “An Old Fiend” that is referring to the devil. He keeps talking to Connie trying to lure her into the vehicle stating everything will be ok and her family will not be home anytime soon because he knows exactly what they are doing at the exact moment. The text also says Arnold stands up in his boots and wobbles as if his boots were stuffed to make him taller and not all the way in.

Through plot, Oates demonstrates how Arnold Friend can be seen as a symbolic Satan. Plot starts when Arnold makes sure to tell Connie he is interested in her as he says,“Gonna get you baby” (Oates 1). Connie is in a drive-in restaurant for an older crowd when Arnold sees her for the first time. Once Connie leaves the drive-in dinner with a boy named Eddie, Arnold decides to make a move on Connie. Arnold uses foreshadowing to let her know he will meet her again. Just as Arnold says he is going to get Connie, he shows up in her driveway, creating a creepy situation. That Sunday afternoon, Connie is alone in her house while her parents and sister are on a picnic at one of their neighbor’s house, Arnold decides to use this opportunity to make his

The narrator implies that Arnold Friend is Satan by giving certain clues that the reader can easily deduce. The name that Oates gives to the character is one hint to the reader: “Connie looked away from Friend's smile to the car, which was painted so bright it almost hurt her eyes to look at it. She looked at the name, Arnold Friend. She looked at it for a while

Arnold Friend's façade gives the reader the feeling that something is wrong, as if Oates were trying to persuade Connie away from her impending doom. When Arnold first pulls into Connie's driveway, the reader is alarmed. Connie notices that he is actually much older than he appears and the reader knows that

1. Arnold Friend 's name can be interpreted as being "a friend." Also, by removing the r 's, his name becomes "an old fiend," which can be interpreted as a reference to a demon or even Satan. What other clues are there that Arnold is not who he claims to be?

Connie, the protagonist of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, is a character who goes through a traumatic experience in her life. Her encounter with the antagonist, Arnold Friend, permanently changes her selfish innocence and challenges her way of thinking. With an unsupportive family and shallow friends, Connie lacks a strong moral foundation and is self-absorbed. Connie’s character, by the end of the story, changes through her encounter with Arnold Friend. Connie transforms from a selfish, shallow character to one of self-awareness.

The short story “Where are you going, Where have you been” by Joyce Carol Oates was published in 1966. The story was purposely written for Bob Dylan, who’s song “It’s all over now, Baby Blue” had a great influence on the story. story Oates gives us many descriptions of the characters to give the reader a better understanding of what the character is feeling, thinking, and shows their personalities through their actions. The story also includes many signs and a great deal of symbolism. In this analysis, I will explore is Arnold friend representing an evil entity or is he simply genuinely trying to be Connie’s friend. A character by the name of Arnold Friend could potentially be a symbol of a demonic force, or even the devil.

Throughout the text, Oates shows the reader Arnold Friend’s characteristic sinister ability to draw in Connie and manipulate her through what she loves the most. The data reveals, “He lifted his friend’s arm and showed her the little transistor radio the boy was holding, and now Connie began to hear the music. It was the same program that was

Arnold took advantage of Connie’s vulnerability. For once, Connie was compared to June without being second best. He praised her beauty with compliments for example calling her “a pretty girl ‘’ (292) something her mother had never done and he told Connie that she was “the one’’ (297). Unlike her father, Arnold admitted he took “a special interest ‘’ (292) in her. He took the time to investigate all about her (292). Arnold gave Connie compliments, promises of affection, and attention, things she was not used to. Arnold reminds Connie that her family never showed interest in her, he reminded her that they knew anything about her, and reassured her that she was better than them. (300). Connie then made the absurd decision to get in the car with a man who proved to me dangerous and a possible psychopath.

Arnold Friend is seen as a symbolic satan due to the fact of how Oates uses dialogue through the short story.

Arnold is introduced in the beginning of the story when Connie is out with her friends and starts talking to Eddie, a boy she meets at a restaurant. As Connie leaves with Eddie, she turns and notices Arnold staring at her with a wide grin laughing and saying, “gonna get you baby”, as he wags his finger (1098). All of this is done without Eddie noticing, perhaps indicating that Arnold Friend may be an illusion or not real. Arnold’s first appearance in the story clearly foreshadows that we haven’t seen the last of Arnold Friend in this story and he is out to get Connie due to the way she represents herself as a sexually open girl.

Arnold Friend does not ever seem like a believable character that one would meet in the real world, even for a second. Although he seems confident a majority of the time, his slip ups in demeanor and actions that do not appeal to normal people assure the reader that his identity is assumed, and that he is actually the devil. His actions are meant to coax Connie but instead

Since she does not seem to idolize her parents and respect them in any form, she finds another person to admire and dedicate her time to. By Connie claiming that the “drive-in restaurant where the older kids hung out,” (Oates) is her form of church, the reader develops a sense of what is important to Connie at this time in her life. A biblical allusion could be made between the confrontation of Arnold Friend and Connie. Arnold Friend and his charismatic attempt to persuade Connie to get out of her house and “come for a ride” (Oates) in his car with him could be interpreted as Eve and the serpent that tempts her to eat the forbidden apple. Just as the serpent exclaimed, “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil,” Arnold Friend attempted to persuade Connie to do as he desired. (Genesis) By including all of these religious contexts in a story about a supposedly non-religious family, the reader can decipher that Oates story was meant to encase a deeper

He is always looking for his next meal. When he initially sees Connie, he perceives the way she acts as an invitation to claim her. Arnold, then, arrives at her house days later to claim his prize. When he first pulls up to Connie’s home, she is initially excited because a boy was coming over. Her first instinct to check on her appearance. Connie then notices that it is not the person she was hoping to see. Arnold comes rolling up with in “an open jalopy, painted bright gold that caught the sunlight opaquely” (161). On the side had the out dated phrase “MAN THE FLYING SAUCERS” (164). This car is a symbol. It’s an extension of Arnold: dangerous and not quite in touch with reality. The car is what clued Connie into see that something may be seriously wrong with Arnold. The phrase that was painted on car was used the year before it went out of style. That alarms Connie more that Arnold is not who he says he is. Arnold’s appearance alerts Connie that he is not to be trusted. Arnold wears shoes that looks like it too big for his feet to make him appear taller. Friend claims to be the same age as Connie, but he is not very convincing. The whole encounter revolves around Connie’s home. The house itself is a symbol. Connie starts out on the porch and the quickly retreats to the door of her home when Friend becomes progressively antagonistic. The home represents the only world she has ever known, one with friends, family, and traditions. The home,