Character Analysis Of Connie In 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'
Do not knock on the devil’s door, for he is bound to answer. Unfortunately this is exactly what happens to Connie, the main character in the short-story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” written by Joyce Carol Oates. In the story, fifteen year old Connie is like any other teenage girl. She is vain, unkind to her parents, and desperate to grow up. Connie makes rebellious decisions such as sneaking across the highway to a drive-in restaurant for older kids, experimenting with sex, and lying. One Sunday, Connie decides to ditch her family at a barbeque so that she could stay home and dry her hair. That same day, Arnold Friend rolls up Connie’s driveway in a golden jalopy with hopes of taking Connie for a ride. Connie is initially charmed
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When Connie first sees Arnold pull his golden convertible into her driveway, she notices that he has “shaggy, shabby black hair that looked crazy as a wig” (par. 16). The devil is often pictured with horns, and Arnold wears false hair to hide his devilish looks from Connie. Later, Arnold tries to get Connie to go for a ride with him. Connie sizes Arnold up, and notices that his nose is “long and hawklike, sniffing as if she were a treat he was going to gobble up” (par. 46). Arnold’s nose reveals the devil’s predatory nature. He treats Connie as if she is his next victim. Shortly after, Connie recognizes that Arnold is the same man in the convertible from the diner. Arnold takes off his sunglasses, and Connie notices “how pale the skin around his eyes was, like holes that were not in shadow but instead in light. His eyes were like chips of broken glass that catch the light in an amiable way” (par. 55). Arnold’s skin is light in color, which indicates that he is the devil. The devil spends much of his time underground in the pits of hell and does not get much exposure to the sun. In addition, the eyes are often described as being windows of the soul. Arnold’s eyes do not reflect light, so he does not have a soul. Later, Connie begins to question the age of Arnold. Arnold tells Connie that he is eighteen, but she does not believe him. He smiles at her, and “his eyes became slits” (par. 84). Here, Arnold’s face transforms to look like a snake. The devil is often associated with snakes because a serpent tricked Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Arnold’s facial features morphing into a snake proves that he is the devil. Later, Arnold continues to terrorize Connie, and she threatens to call the police. In response, Arnold curses and smiles at Connie. She describes his face as “a mask...tanned down to his throat but then running out as if he had plastered make-up on his face but had forgotten about his
When Connie first sees Arnold pull his golden convertible into her driveway, she notices that he has “shaggy, shabby black hair that looked crazy as a wig” (par. 16). The devil is often pictured with horns, and Arnold wears false hair to hide his devilish looks from Connie. Later, Arnold tries to get Connie to go for a ride with him. Connie sizes Arnold up, and notices that his nose is “long and hawklike, sniffing as if she were a treat he was going to gobble up” (par. 46). Arnold’s nose reveals the devil’s predatory nature. He treats Connie as if she is his next victim. Shortly after, Connie recognizes that Arnold is the same man in the convertible from the diner. Arnold takes off his sunglasses, and Connie notices “how pale the skin around his eyes was, like holes that were not in shadow but instead in light. His eyes were like chips of broken glass that catch the light in an amiable way” (par. 55). Arnold’s skin is light in color, which indicates that he is the devil. The devil spends much of his time underground in the pits of hell and does not get much exposure to the sun. In addition, the eyes are often described as being windows of the soul. Arnold’s eyes do not reflect light, so he does not have a soul. Later, Connie begins to question the age of Arnold. Arnold tells Connie that he is eighteen, but she does not believe him. He smiles at her, and “his eyes became slits” (par. 84). Here, Arnold’s face transforms to look like a snake. The devil is often associated with snakes because a serpent tricked Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Arnold’s facial features morphing into a snake proves that he is the devil. Later, Arnold continues to terrorize Connie, and she threatens to call the police. In response, Arnold curses and smiles at Connie. She describes his face as “a mask...tanned down to his throat but then running out as if he had plastered make-up on his face but had forgotten about his