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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fast when evil comes knocking at her door. One Sunday she encounters Arnold Friend, a seemingly friendly man who is actually the devil, and she must decide whether or not to accompany him for a joy ride. As a clue regarding Arnold’s true identity, Oates describes how, “One of his boots was at a strange angle, as if his foot wasn’t in it. It pointed out to the left, bent at the ankle” (Oates 10). This characterization of Arnold implies that he does not have human feet, but rather demonic hooves. His…
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Where Have You Been? we meet this mysterious character named Arnold Friend, who we never really find out who he is or what he wants. One day he randomly shows up at this girl Connie’s house in his gold “gloppy” and tries to take her for a ride. There’s many different things he could want or is planning on doing with Connie, some of these things could be violent or he could just really want to take her for a ride. Either way, we still never know who Arnold is and the way he acts and looks makes him…
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soul-shivering depiction of Arnold Friend's cunning strategies and Connie's Godoy 3 susceptibility by Joyce Carol Oates signifies that we are exposed to a huge danger when socializing, which sends deep concern. Using her character as a tool, Oates uncovers dreadful behavioral patterns that allow firebugs to make unsuspecting targets their own, thus representing society's dark side. In his insightful analysis, "Impure Realism: As D. F. Hurley exposes the complexity of Arnold Friend's character and his dialogue…
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Literary Analysis The short, fictional stories of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You been?” and “A Rose for Emily” depicts dark, and mysterious characteristics of Arnold Friend and Emily Grieson, whom both have a sense of drive that they must fulfill. It is as if they are stuck in the borderline of what is sanely dark or pure evil. Not only do their motives fulfill this sense of relief within themselves, but they stop at nothing to get what they want; Even if they have to resort to the…
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Typically when you read a story, you don’t look for its deep meaning, nor do you really care what it is. You read the story, then you go on with your life. In the effort to change my terrible habits, This is my attempt at my own personal analysis for the story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been.” The story was released in 1966, and at the time let reporters scrambling to find its meaning. Connie is 15 years old in the story, and is always having trouble with her mom and sister. Disobeying…
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com/courses/3464751/pages/where-are-you-going-where-have-you-been. Accessed on 4 Apr. 2024. The. This is considered a scholarly article. The comparison between the serial killer, Charles Howard Schmid, and the character in the story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Arnold Friend can be vague in his characteristics, but when relating to other details, there are many differences. For example, the time frames between the story and the deaths of Schmid’s victims were all different, whereas…
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Now you can explore how the dynamic between Connie and Arnold exemplifies the significant…
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Nowhere, Nowhere: An Analysis of Oates’ “Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been? In their teenage years, many girls have a rude, self obsessed mentality, and do not really care for anyone but themselves. This mentality is not necessarily their true identity, but rather a wall they put up to shield themselves from the outside world. In many situations, people try to act older and more mature than they actually are by sometimes doing or saying things to create this illusion; but in most cases…
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consensus by examining the text's elements, such as character development, setting, and thematic concerns, all within the framework of a realist tradition. This perspective seeks to ground the story in the tangible and the everyday, arguing that its power and its horror are derived not from its connections to the supernatural or the symbolic but from its reflection of the real world and real experiences. Coulthard posits that Connie, her family, and Friend are not mere archetypes or mythic figures but…
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