Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Arnold Friend Symbolism

by Joyce Carol Oates, a character, Arnold Friend, and his sidekick, Ellie, reference Lucifer in both imagery and secret code. Lucifer has many false personas. This is because if Lucifer openly revealed his true character, it would be obvious for all to stay away. A false persona is also extremely present in the short story’s antagonist, known as Arnold Friend, in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”. Arnold Friend’s entire appearance is fake.

The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates contains many symbols that reveal a hidden message. The car symbolizes freedom that mostly men got to enjoy as women sat in the passenger sit. The story does mention one driver who is a woman but she is noted as a “crazy woman driver” as she left a dent in Arnold Friend’s car. The man being the driver had the power which is what Arnold wants when he asks Connie to get in the car so that he can take her “for a ride.” The car and Arnold are both disguised and in some moments their disguise becomes apparent.

The mysterious and unknown character of Arnold Friend, whom Connie, the protagonist the story, met when she explored to the ‘unknown’ of the drive-in restaurant from the ‘known’ of the

In the short story, “where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Arnold Friend tries to get Connie to do bad things to please him, which is revealed through arnold friend him Arnold Friend makes a promise to Connie at the drive-in-dinner In the short story it said “I'm going to get you baby”Oates. This foreshadows what is going to happen later on in the story it foreshadows that arnold will come for Connie and try to get her anyway possible .The

In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” the first indicator Connie gets that something is off or dangerous about Arnold Friend is his flashy gold car. The car has outdated phrases written all over it, and it seems that Arnold himself is also outdated and not really right. When Arnold insists that Connie take a ride with him, the car becomes something entirely different. It becomes a symbol of the horrible and violent things that will befall Connie in the future.

This could be the reason that Connie’s perceptions on the world are being peeled away from her. In view of her insights of Arnolds real intentions, She hopes that her family will come home and save her but they are nowhere near. To that end, one could say that when Oates reveals “she (Connie) cried out for her mother, she felt her breath start jerking back and forth in her lungs as if it was something Arnold Friend was stabbing her with again and again with no tenderness” (376), reveals the force that Arnold Friend has over Connie at this moment. Furthermore, Connie is so overtaken with fright that she cannot even think of how to use the phone and make that call for help.

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.

Ar no friend, the guy she ignored at the mall. An old fiend, would in fact be Arnold himself at the mall giving her fiendish looks. And arch fiend, the latter being another name for Satan. Symbolism is also found with Ellie Oscar.

Connie uses her attitude and appearance to attract boys. But she is not aware of the reality of the society in which she lives. Connie is living in a fantasy world, but when she gets trapped by Arnold Friend she is put into a scary reality. There

He tries to seduce and persuade her to go with him for a ride similar to how the Devil lured Eve with a shiny and mysterious apple. Oates displays evidence of biblical allusions regarding Arnold Friend’s appearance and persona in the story by depicting his physical characteristics, his supernatural knowledge, and his demeanor as an image of evil. Connie wants to be desired for her sexuality and Arnold possesses this by his tone throughout the story. His appearance comes

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.

Satan with take a deceiving look to move and manipulate. From the book of Matthew “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheets clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). Some may say Satan is the master mover of human life, others may see God as the prime mover. Satan is a victim of his own

A lot of clues in the story hinted that Arnold Friend wasn’t a friend at all, but was a demon that came to take Connie away. When Arnold Friend was first introduced, Connie kept an uneasy feeling about him and felt intrigued by his presence. For example, Arnold immediately starts to ask Connie if she wants to come for a ride. (Oates 1012). Arnold seems to add pressure to Connie from the start and is obviously not there just to take her for a ride.

Reluctantly, her parents allow her to stay home alone. A few hours later, a familiar gold jalopy pulls up to her house. The driver announces to Connie that his name is Arnold Friend. His unusual physical appearance, his tone of voice, and what he may symbolize frighten the Connie.

Oates’s biography explained her fiction writing as a mixture violence and sexual obsession. The writing style definitely fits the plot point of this story with both of her literary ingredients being present in not only Arnold Friend but in Connie as well. The Protagonist Connie is presented in a very self-centered way. She is obsessed with her looks and often fantasizes about all the boys she meets.