Arnold Friend

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In Joyce Carol Oates' eerie short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” readers are introduced to the dark side of a young girl's childhood. Oates uses the character Connie as a lens for readers to understand the danger that can come from too much freedom, plus society’s expectations towards young girls. The story guides us through the highs and lows of Connie’s life, allowing us to understand the character and the story on a deeper level. All these experiences lead to her encounter with the predator, Arnold Friend. The deeper we get into the story, the more information Oates gives us. This detail-oriented story allows us to truly understand Connie and the complexities of her journey. It walks us through the dangers young girls …show more content…
Connie’s vulnerability allows her to be an easy victim for Arnold Friend. He senses her excitement from this attractive, older boy wanting her. She displays this sense of desperation for him when she leaves another boy for him. “He wagged a finger and laughed and said, ‘Gonna get you, baby,” and Connie turned away again without Eddie noticing anything.” Once she did this, Connie unknowingly gave Arnold Friend power, and his power slowly grew when her excitement clouded her judgment, leading her to not notice how much older he truly was. To dive deeper into gender roles and vulnerability, I’ll be using the article “‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’:Overview” by Linda Wagner-Martin. Martin discusses how Connie “yearns” to be viewed as this beautiful, sexual being. How she desperately wants a life where she's beautiful, and goes off to see older boys. She then discussed how she noticed red flags, like his misshapen feet, but overlooked them. “She paints him as she wants him to be, even denying that the slogans on his car are out-of-date. She tries to believe his representation of himself.” (Wagner) Now with Connie being so naive and ignorant she easily played into Arnold Friend’s

Arnold Friend Symbolism

with friends, and loved looking at herself in the mirror. She had minor conflicts with her mother, like most do, but had a good relationship with her older sister, June. One Sunday morning, the whole family abstained from church, and Connie skipped the family barbeque. While she was alone, a car pulled up to the house, this car was that of a man, Arnold Friend. A slender man, with a lanky, but muscular stature, clearly not any age near Connie’s, and with an unkempt aura. In this story, Arnold Friend…

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Arnold Friend Theme

though the reader can see that she is intrigued but the boy. A little later we find out Connie likes the way Arnold looks as she describes his clothes and some of his physical features but keeping them pretty general and then adding “familiar face” is a generalization that one can conclude Oates wants the audience wants to connect the way Connie describing “all men in general.” However as Arnold keeps talking his language becomes more sexual and more vulgar saying he will come inside her and he will…

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Arnold Friend Analysis

increased danger of the 60’s. The story uses the character of Arnold Friend to establish how dangerous society had become in the 1960’s. The 40’s and 50’s are always idealized as clean cut wholesome. America while the 60’s are seen as a more dangerous and turbulent time. Most people view the 40’s and 50’s in a way similar to Happy Days or Grease. While they view the 60’s as a time of war protests and racial struggles. The character of Arnold Friend personifies the changes between the wholesome image of…

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Arnold Friend Symbolism

Arriving at her house uninvited, Arnold Friend expectantly calls out to Connie seeing if she is ready to go for a ride. As the narrator describes the two’s skeptically flirtatious conversation, the audience is able to identify several connections between Arnold Friend and Satan himself, the first of which being his unexplainable knowledge about Connie’s family and the other teens in the town. When Oates reveals the information that Arnold Friend uses play Connie’s emotions, the girl begins…

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Arnold Friend Essay

Stinson EN1173 9:30 25 Sept. 2014 Arnold Friend is (Probably) the Devil Fantasy versus reality, and how the line between the two can be so easily blurred, is a common theme amongst fictional pieces of literature. In Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” the line between the two becomes decidedly blurred somewhere around the beginning of the second half of the story, which takes on an almost dreamlike quality. The arrival of the bizarre Arnold Friend signifies the shift from reality…

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Arnold Friend Monologue

reassure Connie. Not the sad, wretched hand of Arnold Friend that vividly caressed Connie’s cheeks as she sat there solemnly, or even the putrid gaze that Connie so ever happened to catch in the rearview mirror. Whether by a door, an Arnold, or an Ellie, Connie was trapped and more than ever wanted a remedy – somebody,…

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Character Analysis Arnold Friend

throughout the story. Trying to put up a front of being older and mature than the teenager she truly is. As the conflict rises in the story, we can witness how Connie struggles with the two different sides to herself until both sides merge violently. Arnold Friend appears to be a flat character, however I personally think he also is a round character. Arnold’s character is one of a smooth-talker and confident individual as he mingles with Connie. However as the conflict rises his personality begins to change…

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Arnold Friend Character Analysis

A character study of Arnold Friend from “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is a complicated thing to do. Arnold can be interpreted in many different ways. Joyce Carol Oates gives the character Arnold Friend an interesting part by taking historical ideas and re-introducing them in a character. Some examples of historical ideas would be things such as the Pied Piper, music, and even the devil. First off, in instances, Arnold Friend was thought of as the devil. The ways that he seduced…

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Arnold Friend: Still Relevant To Today's Generations

years in generations and society itself, rebellion and stranger danger is still very much seen today, if not more than before. Connie is the prime example of what a young teenager is capable of doing to rebel and what influences one to do so. Arnold Friend is an example of stranger danger and is just one of the many situations that could be brought upon oneself from being too liberal or carefree. Connie is referred to in the beginning as being two-sided. At home, Connie seems immature, but away…

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Stubby's Best Friend In When, By Arnold Schroder

Arnold Schroder (stubby) is Maddie's best friend in When which is written by Victoria Laurie. Stubby can be described as Kind Hearted, Devoted best friend, and selfless. Stubby is selfless because because she wanted to try harder to help Trevor Tibbult. “I don’t think they will believe me, Stubs.” Stubby was silent for a long time. “I should’ve gone over to her house that night. We should’ve tried harder to get her to listen.” (Pg. 68) Stubby don't care what people think about him he was only trying…

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