Arnold Friend Symbolism

Having good intentions for everyone can be a problem. Good intentions are when a person does not believe anyone is harmful. The story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” was published in January 2004. Joyce Carol Oates has written many other stories. Some other works that she is also known for is We Were The Mulvaney’s, Blonde, and The Falls.

At the end, even though both Satyr and Connie put up a fight, they both eventually lose the battle and their life. Oates story, “Where are you going, Where have you been? ” is a story filled with various different forms of symbols and ideas that an ordinary reader would not realize they represent more than just what they appear to be. Oates incorporates several literary elements that can be used to take different critical approaches. With that stated, the Archetypes approach was the most appealing to me because it exposes the reader to a different perspective to the short story that

Culture, the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively, can be defined by music, clothes, paintings, drawings, TV shows, etc. Joyce Carol Oates in her short story Where are you Going, Where Have you Been? explores the effects of music on an American teen. By making allusions to the church and utilizing music as a motif she explores the moral poverty of American pop culture and the ways it makes people vulnerable. Moral poverty of American pop culture means that in pop songs there really aren’t songs with meaning, that they create idealistic situations.

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You been?” is a story written by Joyce Carol Oates, as the story begins readers are introduced to the protagonist, Connie. A fifteen year old girl, who is rebellious, deceitful, somewhat vain and the black sheep of the family—characteristics that also expressed Connie’s want to be loved and accepted in a way she wasn’t from her own family. Oates takes readers on a journey with Connie as her character begins to develop, readers are introduced to Arnold Friend, along with the internal and external conflicts and the brilliantly placed symbolism throughout the short story. Oates protagonist Connie, is by birth a daughter and a sister, but is defining and valuing herself by her appearance and sexuality. “…she knew she was pretty and that was everything" (308).

Throughout the story, there are many instances of the illogical time and settings, the similarity between Arnold and Connie and the unrealistic events show that the meeting between Connie and Arnold Friend is a dream. The dream is also a preparation for Connie before she steps onto the stage of being an adult. Connie’s dream begins when she refuses to go to her aunt’s house for a barbecue party. She stays home, and under the warmness of the sun, she begins her daydreaming about love and the boy she met the night before. In the beginning, the author writes, “Connie sat with her eyes closed in the sun…”

One way to interpret and analyze the short story called “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates is to compare it to the story of “The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf.” In Oates’ short story, the main character is a problematic, pretty, teenage girl named Connie who “couldn’t do a thing, her mind was all filled with trashy daydreams” (Oates, 1). Throughout the story, Connie is described as someone who is detached from her family and feels as though she is misunderstood. There is not much that excites her except for music and the drive-in restaurant that she refers to as her “sacred building” and a “haven and blessing they yearned for” (Oates, 1).

Religion and Mythology in Where are you going Where have you been “Where are you going, Where have you been” by Joyce Carol Oates is a short story abundant with symbolism and hidden meanings. People have interpreted thousands of different meanings for Oates’ story, showing even the smallest details to have significant meaning. The majority of this symbolism seems to focus around religion and mythology. Although Oates is an atheist there is almost irrefutable proof of religious meaning in her story, even the title itself having religious origins. One significant piece of symbolism is the comparison of Arnold Friend to a satyr or the Devil himself.

Home is where the heart is, but what if home is no longer safe? Joyce Carol Oates explores this concept in her 1966 short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”. On surface level, this story appears to discuss a rebellious young girl named Connie and her confrontation with Arnold Friend, a stalker. The ending leaves the reader to assume that Arnold Friend plans to sexually assault the young girl.

In the coming of age story “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?” Joyce Carol Oates uses symbolism, conflict, and the third person to foreshadow fifteen-year-old Connie’s unfortunate, yet untimely fate. While one may think that the conflict stems from Connie’s promiscuity, it is clear to see her promiscuity is only a result to a much bigger conflict, her mother’s constant nagging and disapproval, alongside the lack of attention from her father. the author paints a vivid picture of what happens when a fifteen-year-old girl such as Connie goes elsewhere to find to find the love, attention, and approval that she lacks at home. All which is vital for her growth and wellbeing as a person.

Arnold Friend: Inside the Mind of a Psychopath Joyce Carol Oates’ short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is based on the year-long reign of the 1960s serial killer, the “Pied Piper of Tuscon,” Charles Howard Schmid. Oates’ story tells the horrid tale of an egocentric fifteen-year-old, Connie, who is mentally manipulated and later killed by charismatic Arnold Friend. Oates was inspired to write the short story after reading an article about Schmid’s killings in Life magazine (Borsun). Charles Schmid and Arnold Friend share eerily similar characteristics, including a drive to alter their appearance and play mind games with their victims.

In Joyce Carol Oates fictional short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” the majority of the story lies beneath the surface. More specifically than just the story, you realize that there is more to the character Arnold Friend than what may appear. The author has always remained silent and ambiguous about the real meaning of Arnold Friend’s true nature and she leaves room for the readers to make their own interpretation of him. Readers can analyze Arnold Friend and see him as the devil, he could just be the personification of popular music imagined by Connie in a dream, but Arnold Friend could also be the result of drug use.

Many critics have focused on the familiar element in here are going, where have you been for example, the main character, Connie, is a typical American teen in her psychotically make up and appearance. Even the villain of the story, Arnold friend, is as familiar as the big bad wolf that shows in many masks in literature films. Yet in this paper I want to focus on the strange element in the story mainly about Arnold knew everything about cones family. In Where Are You Going Where Have You Been “Connie realizes that there 's something off about Arnold Friend.

In her short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", Joyce Carol Oates utilizes a variety of literary devices to strengthen the story in its entirety. This short story is essentially about a 16-year-old girl named Connie and the conflict between her desire to be mature and her desire to remain an adolescent. Throughout the story, the audience sees this conflict through her words in addition to through her behavior. The audience is also introduced to Arnold Friend, a rather peculiar man, who essentially kidnaps her. This short story by Joyce Carol Oates functions and is additionally meaningful because of her usage of literary devices.

Instead of realizing the danger that she was in, Connie was focused on what Arnold Friend was wearing and how attractive he was. Connie’s obsession with finding her own sexuality overpowered her gut feeling of danger. In an analysis of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”, Barbara Wiedemann discusses how the antagonist Arnold Friend is based upon serial killer Charles Schmid, who murdered several young girls during the 1960s. In the analysis, Wiedemann

In Joyce Carol Oates’s short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” the main protagonist finds herself in a very hostile situation. With an all most fateful encounter with a man known as Arnold Friend. Forcing her to choose whether to run off with him or taking her by force. This man known as Arnold Friend to the reader comes off as almost a demon. A person who uses many temptations, word play, and threats to take advantage of the young protagonist Connie.