Arnold Friend or Fiend

Stories of a battle between good and evil have been around for ages. Some may say that Satan is just embodies evil. “Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates shows one example of how the devil is the master of deceit. With the help of appearance and actions an evil persona is rested upon Arnold Friend. 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