Compare And Contrast The Misfit And Arnold Friend

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Myles Hypse February 3rd, 2017 English 1B 3:30-4:40pm Two Psychopaths Both of these stories give the reader a good look into the eyes of two psychopaths, who both refuse to take no for an answer. One of them, Arnold Friend although at first appearing friendly, is nothing more than a malicious predator, similar in kind to The Misfit, who greets his victims in a much more sinister way. The two characters, when stood side by side, almost seemed as they become one, yet are polar opposites. When one compares the character Arnold Friend to that of The Misfit, more similarities come forward than differences. When comparing the two killers the one characteristic that seems to stick out the most is that they both seem to be good at what they …show more content…

When one approaches the reading and looks actively, between the lines of each story, you can detect each of the author's small but still distinct undertones that connects religion in both stories. In "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been", the author notes that Arnold's shoes didn't fit, and it look as if he had stuffed rags into his boots to make himself appear taller than his actual height. Oates continues on, stating "One of his boots was at a strange angle, as if his foot wasn't in it. It pointed to the left, bent at the ankle.” This could be interpreted through a religious standpoint that Arnold’s shoes didn't fit because inside he had hooves instead of feet, referring Arnold to be the Devil in search of Connie, as it is also known that the Devil was said to have had a pair of hooves that he took extreme measures to hide from …show more content…

The Misfit and Arnold Friend both provide to be effective authoritative predators in persuading their victims to follow their directives which ultimately lead to their unfortunate deaths and abduction. Both characters in each of these short stories also exhibited insinuated religious implications that related them mainly to two major figures in religion, Jesus and the Devil. After analyzing The Misfit and Arnold's relationship with their respective main characters, many differences were also noted that separated them as individual manipulators that each performed their own tasks to get what they

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