Arnold The Devil Analysis

Although there is the theory of Arnold being a serial killer, him being the devil is a more valid approach. The first evidence that shows how Arnold is the devil is his appearance starting from his feet. In the story, as Arnold starts to walk toward Connie, she notices that his boots do not fit him right and seem like they are stuffed to make him appear taller (Oates 329). Jane M. Barstow’s article also comments on Arnold’s feet stating: “Arnold stuffs his boots in order to appear taller and more attractive or perhaps to hide the cloven feet of his satanic self” (Barstow 3). In her article, Easterly talks about how the clothes are only a disguise for his true form: “Thus, one can hypothesize that Friend wears a wig to hide his pointed ears
and horns” (538). Arnold uses these clothing disguises because he must hide his devilish form when trying to capture Connie. When Connie first sees Arnold, she notices something strange about Arnold’s eyes and states: “He took off the sunglasses and she saw how pale the skin around his eyes was, like holes that were not in shadow but instead in light” (Oates 323). It’s odd that Arnold’s eyes look more like holes than eyes indicating that something is very unusual about him. In his article, Cusatis analyzes this story through Arnold’s appearance and states, “This excitement, however, becomes terror as she realizes that his clothing is really a disguise.” An evil creature that doesn’t want to be seen in his actual form would use a disguise like Arnold does. In Joan D. Winslow’s article, she also comments on Arnold’s deceptive attire: “The inadequacy of his disguise—the slang just a little out of date, the makeup that covers his face but not his neck, the voice that suddenly sounds just as is his name, Arnold Friend” (Winslow 267). These physical attributes give the readers an impression that Arnold is not human but instead the devil.