Arnold Friend Symbolism

Ryan Croucher
Dr. Benjamin Wright
Understanding Literature: ENG 101 - 15
5 February 2015
Analysis of Joyce Carol Oates’ Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
The theme of a literary work is, in my opinion, the most central and vital literary element to both recognize and comprehend. It is comprised of other elements, such as characterization, symbolism, imagery, tone, exposition, climax, conflict, and more. The theme is basically the end result of a complete understanding of a work of literature. In Joyce Carol Oates’ Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? a theme is built around the actions and personalities of two main characters, Connie and Arnold Friend. Connie, the primary protagonist, longs to be free of the childhood she feels

His actions and mannerisms are all the above in terms of confusing, volatile and bizarre, yet they suggest something greater, something that both Connie and the reader cannot quite identify. Oates characterizes Friend by both his appearance and the items he owns and flaunts in the presence of Connie. For example, “It was an open jalopy, painted a bright paint gold that caught the sunlight opaquely,” and “the driver’s glasses were metallic and mirrored everything in miniature.” (4) Arnold’s car and, more specifically, his glasses, both serve as a symbolic representation of the theme at hand. As written, his sunglasses “mirrored everything in miniature,” (4) therefore they reduced Connie’s reality in order to blind her with a fantasy. In terms of the choices Joyce Carol Oates makes in representing his character, she decides on making it very clear that Arnold is in no way, whatsoever, a righteous individual.
Disregarding their apparent differences, Connie and Arnold share one relevant similarity. Both characters are actors in the sense that they put on a show for others to witness. Concerning

That being said, there are other important factors involved in the build up of “reality versus fantasy.” Within, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? we see music play a major role within the plot of the short story. One would even be right to classify it as a symbol or a motif. For Connie, music, especially by Bobby King, connects two separate hemispheres, reality and fantasy. Concepts similar to this one exist all throughout Oates’ literary work. Arnold’s car for example, serves as a glamorous representation of the fantasy Connie imagines. “It was an open jalopy, painted a bright gold that caught the sunlight opaquely.” (4) Arnold’s car and his sunglasses share a similar purpose, to cloak the dark reality that Connie sees as fantasy. Only after Arnold reveals his true self does she recognize the gravity of her