Preview

Arnold Friend or Arnold Foe

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1888 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Arnold Friend or Arnold Foe
Professor Hauth-Forgie
English 102
19 February 2014

Arnold Friend or Arnold Foe
‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’, a short story by Joyce Carol Oates, takes place in the mid-sixties and revolves around two central characters, Connie and Arnold Friend, who mysteriously appears at Connie’s home and tries to coax her into coming with him before ultimately forcing her. Arnold Friend is a much debated character among critics, largely due to hints of inhuman abilities and his intentions for Connie. It is hard to determine the answers to these because there is no direct description of Arnold Friend that states what he is, nor is it revealed what happens to Connie in the end. The article ‘Connie’s Tambourine Man: A New Reading of Arnold Friend’ by Mike Tierce and John Crafton describes Arnold as a Bob Dylan reincarnation, messiah type figure who has come to save Connie from her family and childhood. However, Mike Tierce and John Crafton’s misinterpretation of Arnold Friend being a savior is wrong because they misconstrue Arnold’s intentions towards Connie, his physical appearance, the numbers on the side of his car, and the role music plays in the portrayal of Arnold Friend.
Tierce and Crafton’s theory that Arnold is a savior is flawed because they misunderstand Arnold Friend’s intentions of freeing Connie from the limitations of a child. Tierce and Crafton believe Arnold Friend was conjured up by Connie’s imagination. Tierce and Crafton believe that he is a manifestation of all the desires Connie holds in her heart. Her wish to be a grown woman created a messiah named Arnold Friend, who came to her to take her away from her father’s home and set her free, saying to Connie, “we’ll go out to a nice field, out in the country here where it smells so nice and it’s sunny”(Joyce Carol Oates, 515). Taking the innocence and limitations that her age brings allows her to leave and go with Arnold Friend (Connie’s Tambourine Man: A New Reading of Arnold Friend). He
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Character Analysis Of Arnold Friend In 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been'
    • 121 Words
    • 1 Page

    Character Analysis Of Arnold Friend In 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been'

    When the character, Arnold Friend, was introduced I did not expect that he would play the role of the enemy in the story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been.” When he arrives at Connie’s home, I began to question my hypothesis. Similarly, Connie’s view of the mysterious man is reformed as Arnold’s true nature is revealed. The realization begins when he discloses all the information he knows about Connie and the whereabouts of her family. This is when I, the reader, and the character begin to suspect that Arnold is not a respectable guy. She then notices his eerily pale skin, aged appearance, unsettling remarks, and seemingly stuffed shoes. These suspicions were confirmed once he spoke of his intentions.…

    • 121 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Summary Of 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'
    • 650 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Summary Of 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'

    “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is the suspenseful tale of fifteen year old Connie and her situation with a strange man. Connie, who usually enjoys the attention of the older boys, sees the man randomly when she is on a date. Some time later, the man shows up to Connie’s house and asks her if she wants to go for a ride with him and his friend. The man introduces himself as Arnold Friend, claiming to be eighteen years old. Connie soon begins to realize the two men look much older than eighteen, and she becomes frightened. Arnold begins revealing an uncomfortable amount of information he knows about Connie, which surprises her. When Connie threatens to call the police, Arnold assures her that he will not come in the house unless she picks up the phone. Connie picks up the phone at one point, but puts it back after she cries into it and Arnold instructs her to be a “good girl.” A feeling of emptiness takes over Connie after she finishes sobbing, and she finds herself eventually being lured out of her house by Arnold.…

    • 650 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Character Analysis Of Arnold Friend In 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'
    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Character Analysis Of Arnold Friend In 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'

    Arnold Friend is a mysterious character and nothing is known about what happens to him and Connie after the story ends, but their short interaction could be compared to long-term abusive situations in relationships, friendships, and families. When Connie first interacts with Arnold he seems like a…

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Are You Going, Where Have You Been? By Joyce Carol Oates: Summary
    • 1152 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Are You Going, Where Have You Been? By Joyce Carol Oates: Summary

    “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is a short story written by Joyce Carol Oates. This popular short story made its debut in 1966. Dependent upon the interpreter, this short story may seem to be based upon many different themes, although my goal is to focus on analyzing the author’s use of stylistic devices such as a recognizable setting, and symbolism that Oates has effectively implemented in this story to convey the most important theme, which is maturity and coming of age. Oates uses many symbolic devices such as; words/thoughts, relationships amongst characters, and even objects to effectively symbolize Connie’s coming of age adventure.…

    • 1152 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Arnold Friend In Joyce Carol Oates 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been'
    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Arnold Friend In Joyce Carol Oates 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been'

    In Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” Arnold Friend, a conniving antagonist, charms a naive teenager named Connie into believing he will rescue her from her inattentive family. However, at the story’s climax, Connie fears for her life yet cannot resist Arnold’s temptations. Although details of Friend’s appearance, speech, and actions should warn Connie of his evil intentions, through Oates’s portrayal of Friend as a devil-figure, Connie is easily “conned” foreshadowing her deadly fall. Many times throughout the story, Arnold reveals supernatural qualities that he possesses, foreshadowing the spell that Connie is put under and cannot break.…

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Arnold Friend Analysis
    • 701 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Arnold Friend Analysis

    Predators and their prey come in various shapes and sizes. When we usually hear the words, predators or prey, we tend to think about something like lions, preying on gazelles in the wildlife. Arnold Friend, however, in the story “Where are you going, Where have you been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, Arnold is not a lion preying on gazelle, but he is a middle-aged man that becomes predatory and preys on 15-year-old Connie. Scheming and being a predatorial is what make Arnold Friend the villainous man he is.…

    • 701 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Arnold Friend or Fiend
    • 952 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Arnold Friend or Fiend

    Arnold Friend has an interesting description in this story. He is described initially with “shaggy, shabby black hair that looked crazy as a wig.” He is also wearing metallic sunglasses that reflected everything. Eyes are known to be windows into the soul. The fact that his eyes were not able to be seen may suggest that he didn’t have a soul, another reference to the possibility of Arnold being Satan. He is also described has standing awkwardly, “He was standing in a strange way, leaning back against the car as if he were balancing himself” (468). He is has trouble walking, “She watched him take a step toward the porch lurching. He almost fell. But, like a clever drunken man, he managed to catch his balance. He wobbled in his high boots and grabbed hold of one of the porch posts” (472). It also says that the boots seem to be stuffed. Some argue the fact he “stuffs” his boots was to compensate for the hooves. The narrator also comments that his legs don’t seem to function like the average human legs. This could also be a reference to the hooves of Satan. His skin seems to be painted on, “His whole face was a mask… tanned down onto his throat but then running out as if he had plastered makeup on his face but had forgotten about his throat” (472). Satan can take the shape of his victim’s weakness. Connie’s weakness is boys, he is dressed as a teenage boy and Connie says that he isn’t bad looking but his demeanor is strange. She also doesn’t believe that he is just a “few” years older than she. He appears to be over compensating, using a dated expression such as “MAN THE FLYING SAUCERS” (469). This shows that he is trying to act…

    • 952 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Summary Of Where Are You Going Where Have You Been
    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Summary Of Where Are You Going Where Have You Been

    “Connie felt a wave of dizziness rise in her at this sight...” (86) The tone gets increasingly serious as the threat of violence spirals in Connie's meeting with Arnold Friend. The story takes place of 1960s - the standpoint of a teenager: drive-in restaurants, movie theaters, shopping malls, "ranch"-style homes. The ending is essentially tragic, Connie's submission to Arnold Friend standing for the ways women are oppressed in a patriarchal society. “Arnold Friend let go of the post tentatively and opened his arms for her..” (159).…

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Joyce Carol Oates's 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'
    • 66 Words
    • 1 Page

    Joyce Carol Oates's 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'

    In Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where are you Going, Where have you Been?” the characters Connie, who soon finds herself traveling somewhere she has never been as well as not knowing where that place is or what it means for her, and Arnold Friend , who Connie believes to be an ordinary 18 year-old boy, demonstrate duality through not only their actions, but their appearances as…

    • 66 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?": Arnold Fiend
    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?": Arnold Fiend

    stuffed boots; these features led her to believe he was not a teenager, but in…

    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Rhetorical Analysis
    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Rhetorical Analysis

    “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates is a short story that brings many girl’s nightmares to life. The story is one about a young, naïve girl named Connie, and her deranged abductor, Arnold Friend. Oates uses the setting in Connie’s life to create a very realistic situation. Oates also uses descriptive language to create vivid images of the setting, charters, and the emotions Connie feels. By analyzing Connie’s home setting and the descriptive language Oates uses, we will be able to further understand how Connie’s thoughts and actions were effected by her setting.…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Theme Of Where Are You Going Where Have You Been
    • 169 Words
    • 1 Page

    Theme Of Where Are You Going Where Have You Been

    I believe the theme of the short story, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" is focused on the imagination versus the reality of the main character, Connie. Connie perceives herself as a functioning mature woman by the way she dresses, styles her hair, and her overall demeanor. Connie convinces herself that she is this mature person who has it all figured out but when she is approached by this character, Arnold, her insecurities begin to emerge. Once Arnold begins to harass Connie, she resorts to childlike behavior and her anxiety increases. The author represents Arnold as a boy but he is quite possibly a figment of Connie's imagination, he represented her actual fear of becoming an adult. "She watched herself push the door slowly open…

    • 169 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Theme Analysis
    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Theme Analysis

    At this point her descriptions of Arnold make it seem like he isn't a real human being, “ his whole face was a mask”(Oates 320). Reality hitting her makes the world around her an unknown place , she doesn't even recognize her kitchen where she grew up. There is no escaping the change Arnold symbolizes for Connie, “ The place where you came from ain't there no more, and where you had in mind to go is canceled out”(Oates 325).Connie can't go back to her past self and she can't live in the world of her daydreams. Connie is given the “choice”, to go with Arnold Friend or stay and have her family hurt, but she really has no choice but to accept the change that has come for her. “ She watched herself push the door open slowly as if she were back somewhere safe somewhere in the other doorway”(Oates 326), Connie is leaving the girl she is at home behind. When she steps out her door it's not her street she sees it’s, “ vast sunlit reaches of the land behind him and on all sides of him- so much land that Connie had not seen before and did not recognize except to know that she was going to it”(Oates 326).…

    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Symbolism In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Symbolism In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

    In Joyce Carol Oates’s short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” (1966), Connie is an adolescent that faces literal and psychological challenges. Within the conflicts of the story, there are two compelling questions that allow you to take a special interest of a deeper meaning. Taken from the title, where has Connie been? Where is Connie going?…

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Where Are You Going
    • 294 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Where Are You Going

    The story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” is a very interesting short story written by Joyce Carol Oats. Her story begins in the summer, and 15-year-old Connie spends much of her time lounging around the house, going out with friends, and meeting boys. One night a strange guy makes a threatening gesture to her in the parking lot of a local drive-in restaurant. She thinks nothing of it until one Sunday afternoon, when the rest of her family attends a barbecue at an aunt's house, leaving her home alone. The strange guy pulls up in her driveway in a gold-colored car, accompanied by a friend. The driver introduces himself as Arnold Friend and asks Connie to join him for a ride. During the course of their conversation, Connie realizes that Arnold is a threat. Arnold's language becomes more sexually explicit and violent, and he threatens to harm her family if she calls the police. Connie makes a last-ditch effort to call the police, but panics and is unable to make the call. In the end, she leaves the house and joins Arnold.…

    • 294 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More

Related Topics