Character Analysis Of Arnold Friend In 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'
“Where are you going, where have you been?” by Joyce Carol Oates represents emotional abuse in relationships and how easy it is to manipulate young minds.
Connie is a beautiful, self indulgent 15 year old girl. Her mother is very overbearing and praises her 24 year old sister, June, more than her. June is everything that Connie isn’t. She works hard to make money on her own, helps her parents around the house, and is mature and independent. Connie strives to receive attention and praise that her family never gives her, which is why she secretly hangs out with older boys without her parents knowing. Her insecurities and rebellion puts her in an extremely vulnerable place to be taken advantage of.
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 …show more content…
She is scared and doesn't know where to turn to and where she should go, which makes her confused. “She began to scream into the phone, into the roaring. She cried out, she cried for her mother, she felt her breath start jerking back and forth in her lungs as if it were something Arnold Friend was stabbing her with again and again with no tenderness.” (Oats 8)
Arnold’s threats escalate into hurting her family if she doesn't do what he wants. He has manipulated and put her down so much that now she feels trapped with no one else to turn to, which causes her to leave with him. Even though the abuse isn’t physical, this story is similar to feeling trapped in a relationship with someone you thought you could trust. Connie’s fragile emotional state was enough for Arnold to take advantage of her, and now the ending of her story in
Connie is a beautiful, self indulgent 15 year old girl. Her mother is very overbearing and praises her 24 year old sister, June, more than her. June is everything that Connie isn’t. She works hard to make money on her own, helps her parents around the house, and is mature and independent. Connie strives to receive attention and praise that her family never gives her, which is why she secretly hangs out with older boys without her parents knowing. Her insecurities and rebellion puts her in an extremely vulnerable place to be taken advantage of.
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 …show more content…
She is scared and doesn't know where to turn to and where she should go, which makes her confused. “She began to scream into the phone, into the roaring. She cried out, she cried for her mother, she felt her breath start jerking back and forth in her lungs as if it were something Arnold Friend was stabbing her with again and again with no tenderness.” (Oats 8)
Arnold’s threats escalate into hurting her family if she doesn't do what he wants. He has manipulated and put her down so much that now she feels trapped with no one else to turn to, which causes her to leave with him. Even though the abuse isn’t physical, this story is similar to feeling trapped in a relationship with someone you thought you could trust. Connie’s fragile emotional state was enough for Arnold to take advantage of her, and now the ending of her story in