Analysis of Joyce Carol Oates' Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
In Joyce Carol Oates' “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”
critics argue whether the character of Arnold Friend, clearly the story's
antagonist, represents Satan in the story. Indeed, Arnold Friend is an
allegorical devil figure for the main reason that he tempts Connie, the
protagonist, into riding off with him in his car.
Oates characterizes Arnold Friend at first glance as “a boy with shaggy,
black hair, in a convertible jalopy painted gold”(581). She lets the reader
know that Arnold is not a teenager when Connie begins to notice the features
such as the painted eyelashes, his shaggy hair which looked like a wig, and his
stuffed boots; these features led her to believe he was not a teenager, but in
fact, much older. Oates does make Arnold out to be a psychopathic stalker, but
never objectively states the diabolical nature to his character.
In “Connie's Tambourine Man”, a critical essay on the story, the authors
write about Arnold Friend: “There are indeed diabolical shades to Arnold just as
Blake and Shelley could see Milton's Satan a positive, attractive symbol of the
poet, the religious embodiment of creative energy, so we should also be
sensitive to Arnold's multifaceted and creative nature”(Tierce and Crafton 608).
Mike Tierce and John Michael Crafton suggest that Arnold Friend is not a
diabolical figure, but instead a religious and cultural savior.
On a more realistic note, Joyce M. Wegs argues the symbolism of Arnold
Friend as a Satan figure when she writes: “Arnold is far more a grotesque
portrait of a psychopathic killer masquerading as a teenager; he also has all
the traditional, sinister traits of that arch deceiver and source of grotesque
terror, the devil”(616). She also writes about how the author sets up the idea
of a religious, diabolical figure when she links popular music and its values as
Connie's perverted version of a religion. Another hint is Arnold's almost
supernatural, mysterious knowledge about Connie, her family and her friends(Wegs
617).
The main reason why the reader would extract this diabolical symbol from
reading the story is that Arnold's character bears striking resemblance to
Satan's. At the drive-in, Arnold is warning Connie of his coming when he wags
his finger at her and says “Gonna get you, baby”(Oates 581). The majority of
the story is Arnold tempting Connie to leave the safe haven that is her home and
She had “perfect ringlets”, was beautiful, and “was the shade of brown” (34). Jo is a neighbor. Jo had on an “oversized orange sweatshirt, black leggings that hugged her skinny legs, and combat boots” (59). Jo had “a toothy smile” (59). Max had “squirrel brown and wispy” hair (59).
Like all great stories throughout time, a compelling villain is the key to making a story worthwhile. In short stories like, “Where have you been, where are you going,” and, “Love in LA,” a though provoking antagonist was used by the authors to really give the stories some depth. The antagonist of, “Where have you been…”Arnold Friend takes on the persona of temptation to the protagonist Connie and really emphasizes the theme of be careful what you wish for. Connie was a young girl who repeatedly met up with older more mature boys; but one day Arnold Friend arrives at her house and coerces her to leave with him. The story abruptly stops there leaving the reader hoping for more. The antagonist of, “Love in LA”, Jake, an unemployed dreamer, meets the heroine of the story, Marianna, when he mistakenly hits her car on the freeway. From there, he proceeds to lie and do whatever it takes to make himself look better, and go out with Marianna. Both of these antagonists are similar in that both could have some underlying biblical meaning or connotation, both hit on younger, seemingly “innoce...
...eft the house. The room is filled with "hard, fast, shrieking songs she [sings] along with" and her heart begins beating quickly. Arnold suddenly pulls in to the driveway, his radio tuned to the same radio station. The music behind Arnold is "perpetual" and symbolizes the danger that Connie has brought upon herself. The reader is put off by Connie's wanton and careless romp at the beginning of the story and, subconsciously, the reintroduction of fast music makes him uneasy again.
Connie, from “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”, wants to rebel against her family. She uses her attractiveness to flirt with boys at the local restaurant behind their backs as a form of rebellion. She feels as though her family does not appreciate her; her father does not pay any attention to her and her mother constantly compares her to her sister, criticizing her every move and asking why she cares so much about her appearance. On one of her outings she sees a boy who she vainly chooses to ignore. Later he shows up at her house posing as her friend, calling himself Arnold Friend, and talking to her as though he is another boy she flirts with down at the diner and pretending to be her age. She subtly flirts with him at first, only realizing the danger when it is too late.
In the essays "You Can Go Home Again" by Mary TallMountain and "Waiting at the Edge: Words Towards a Life" by Maurice Kenny, both writers are in search of something. Throughout their lives, they 've been mocked and felt out of place due to their Native American heritage. Both authors wanted to disown their heritage; however, it is through this attempted renunciation, that both authors wanted to fit in amongst their peers. In order to do so, TallMountain and Kenny had to search for their selves. Both, TallMountain and Kenny, search for their identity through family, school, and nature.
Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” focuses on two main characters, Connie and Arnold Friend. The two characters have extreme conflict throughout the short story and in the end only one wins. The literary device of characterization in the story helps to clarify the Greek and Biblical reasons for one character’s win and the other’s lose.
Death and Reality in "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates
“Goodbye to all that” is a captivating story of young women and the journey she takes to identify who she is. Through the expressive writing by Joan Didion, the emotions in this text are truly tangible. Didion writes from her own experience as a young writer living her dream of being in New York City. Throughout her story there is miscommunication and through each obstacle, she grows as a person, learns what priorities are important, and overall she finds herself. I find this very appealing because everyone can relate to a life changing experience and reflect on how it changed you.
He grew his beard out, which was a deep black color and extended up to his eyes. It was luxuriously thick and he would light matches within it to have a fiery look upon which he gazed at his enemies. It was terrifying for those who met him in person and he was described as a
In “Goodbye to All That,” by Joan Didion, the author shows that by living a certain way or living in a certain place can take a lot out of a person emotionally. Throughout the narrative there are many examples of that. In this paper though, the examples will be more focused towards the ending of the narrative.
Spiro Veterans of Foreign Wars received an award from state commander Bob Mason on Thursday January 11 celebrating Fifty years of service to the local community and veterans. The Post has members from every branch of service with veterans from the Korean, Kuwait, vietnam wars. State Commander Mason said that renewal rates have held steady but that he would like get those who had dropped out over the years to come back and renew and that many of the changes he had put into place since taking over was helping to drive this. " When Veterans get back they tend to get lonely because kids and friends move away and don't come around as often and it can lead to suicide so we need to go out and visit with our veterans, get them involved and get a support
the lack of knowing her true self lets Arnold Friend overpower her in the end. The words and letters on Arnold’s car symbolize warnings that Connie should have picked up on. Because Arnold symbolizes the devil, the evil inside of him gives him advantages to manipulate Connie into leaving her house, despite everything inside of Connie screaming at her not to go. The symbolisms in these objects or people are all deeply rooted to the theme of this short story, “Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?”.
Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” tells the tale of a fifteen year old girl named Connie living in the early 1960’s who is stalked and ultimately abducted by a man who calls himself Arnold Friend. The short story is based on a true event, but has been analyzed by many literary scholars and allegedly possesses numerous underlying themes. Two of the most popular interpretations of the story are that the entire scenario is only dreamt by Connie (Rubin, 58) and that the abductor is really the devil in disguise (Easterly, 537). But the truth is that sometimes people really can just be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Connie, a victim of terrifying circumstance will be forever changed by her interactions with Friend.
Joyce Carol Oates is a writer who takes many risks. Her writing style varies with each story and she is constantly trying to find new ways to make her stories more interesting. In her novel What I Lived For she writes from a 3rd person perspective. This book was written in the 1990s and it was unusual that a female writer wrote from a man’s point of view. Oates wrote this book to be different and to prove her skills as a writer. She has an extensive amount of characterization for the main character, including conflict, to help the reader get a better understanding of the characters life and struggles. It also gets the reader hooked as the story develops. Oates is known to use different types of conflict in her novels. In What I Lived For she uses Man vs. Society, Man vs. Self and Man vs. Man.
As one grows up and experiences the taste of life, opening one’s eyes to both negative and positive aspects of the world, it is common that one starts to lose their innocence little by little throughout one’s journey. The title of novel, The Catcher in the Rye (1952) by J. D. Salinger, signifies the desires of Holden Caulfield, the narrator, to preserve innocence, and the allusion to the Robert Burns poem “Comin Thro’ the Rye” further emphasizes his desires and also represents his innocence.