Arnold Friend Character Analysis

Impulsive behavior is common in our modern society. That impulsive behavior is controlled by a person’s id. Lots of people let their id control all of their decision making. This can eventually lead to a person’s inner darkness to be revealed. This concept is exemplified in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”. In the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates, Connie’s impulsive behavior along with the symbolism behind Arnold Friend in order to express how her uncontrollable id eventually caused her downfall. The Freudian id is the part of the mind that makes impulsive decisions without any reasoning. It is usually used less than the other parts of the mind, the ego and superego. The id is the instinctual
portion of the mind, which is much simpler than the rest of the mind. It usually acts upon impulses, which is exemplified in the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates. The main character, Connie, is extremely impulsive throughout the story. She remains calm and collected when with her family, but she is impulsive and wild when out with her friends. In a way, she has two different personalities. That plays into a recurring theme throughout the story, the theme of duality. According to the literary criticism found in Contemporary Literary Criticism, she is acting this way because Connie is “at a crucial juncture in her life as she attempts to move into adulthood,” (Hunter 222). Her inappropriate behavior is due to her trying to be an adult. In her mind, acting promiscuously and impulsively is equal to being an adult, so she let her id take control of her decision-making. Through this characterization of Connie, Oates is trying to express how the id brings out a person’s inner darkness. Connie’s environment is a major factor in her upbringing and eventual behavior as she shifts into adulthood. Factors in her environment include “Connie’s relationship with her mother and sister, as well as her rebellion, self-centeredness, insecurity, and sexual experimentation” (Wilson 266). She always argues with her mother. At the same time, her older sister is more successful than her and always gets her mother’s approval. Both of these could be a cause for her to rebel against her family. This rebellion is done through behaving inappropriately when she is outside of the house. She lets her id control her behavior, causing her to be wild and reckless. Her promiscuous behavior is completely ruled by her id, she doesn’t even think about what she is doing. She wants to get revenge on her family, specifically her mother. In order to do so she has to be as reckless as possible. All of the decisions made by her id are subconsciously influenced by her goal of rebelling against her parents. This causes her to make decisions that express her inner darkness. Connie isn’t the only character that lets the id take control.
Arnold Friend is a character that is also controlled by his id. When he first makes contact with Connie he smiles and says “Gonna get you, baby” (Oates 1). In that instance, his id is controlling his decision-making. Arnold immediately determined that he wanted Connie without taking any time to process his thoughts. Later in the story, Arnold shows up at Connie’s house with his friend Ellie. At first he asks Connie to get in the car, but as time progresses he becomes more aggressive, demanding that she gets in the car. His behavior can be compared to that of a child. When a child doesn’t get what he wants, he becomes more and more aggressive until he does. That is because the child is not developed enough to have an ego or superego to counteract their id, which is the same for Arnold. He goes so far as to rape Connie, which expresses how Arnold’s id took advantage of a vulnerable girl (Snodgrass). However, Connie does have a superego in this situation. Instead of acting impulsively and getting in the car with Arnold, Connie begins to think about the consequences and decides against it. That is because Arnold is more than just a character, he is a physical representation of Connie’s id. He knows details about Connie that nobody should know except her, such as the location of her family. In this situation Connie’s mind only contains an ego and superego, but the id is standing in front of her. Arnold is her inner
darkness being brought to life. The conflict between Connie and Arnold expresses the theme of duality.
The difference between Connie and Arnold emphasises the duality between them. In psychology, the id and the superego are complete opposites. The id is the impulsive part of the mind that doesn’t think about the consequences. The opposite of the id is the superego, which is the part of the mind that rationalises decisions and makes sure that it is the right thing to do. In this conflict, Connie is the superego, she thinks about everything instead of just blindly committing. Arnold, on the other hand, is the id. He orders Connie to get in the car without thinking about the repercussions of his actions. In this situation, the id triumphed over the superego. This is due to the effects that the id has on a person. It can cause a person to lose control, bringing out their dark side. Arnold becomes a madman, threatening to kill Connie’s family. Since Connie is the superego and thinks about the consequences of her actions, she finally exits her house and enters Arnold’s car. She at first believed she was acting like an adult, but now she is regretful since she is finally leaving her childhood behind (Magill 2579). Her attempt at acting like an adult caused her downfall. In the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates, the freudian theory of the id plays an important role in portraying the author’s purpose. Connie let her id take control of her decisionmaking. However, when she
meets a physical representation of her id, she thinks with her superego. Sadly, her superego is not strong enough and she lost the conflict. By using her id more than the other parts of her mind, she let out her inner darkness, which in the end caused her demise.