Arnold is supposed to represent. One of the most interesting theories is that Arnold Friend is a representation of evil‚ or the devil himself. A wistful talker‚ who can convince someone to act without moving a muscle. He possesses temptation‚ luring Connie into something she simply never imagined could happen. Arnold’s car had the numbers 33‚ 19‚ and 17 written on it. Those numbers are attributed to a bible verse‚ further speculating the belief. Arnold walks with a wobble‚ mainly because he seems to
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the theme of identity and the search for self. During the summer‚ Connie spends most of her time hanging out with her friends or hanging out with boys. One night when Connie and her friends came out of a movie‚ she was greeted by a strange man who made a threatening
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teenager’s concerns‚ but Connie is like two personalities in one person‚ “Everything about her had two sides to it‚ one for home and one for anywhere that was not home: her walk‚ which could be childlike and bobbing‚ or languid enough to make anyone think she was hearing music in her head; her mouth‚ which was pale and smirking most of the time‚ but bright and pink on these evenings out” (Oates 110). Interestingly‚ most of the time‚ her two sides seem to function in harmony and Connie smoothly changes from
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and the coming of age effectively in “Where Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been”‚ “Four Summers”‚ and “The Girl with the Blackened Eye”. She uses it to connect the three stories to each other. Connie and the girl in “The Girl with the Blackened Eye” are connected because they were both violated by a man. Connie and Sissie were both connected because they were both influenced by their families’ ways on how they lived their lives. Joyce Carol Oates is noted for her ability to create stories with terror
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Friend is a character that is also controlled by his id. When he first makes contact with Connie he smiles and says “Gonna get you‚ baby” (Oates 1). In that instance‚ his id is controlling his decision-making. Arnold immediately determined that he wanted Connie without taking any time to process his thoughts. Later in the story‚ Arnold shows up at Connie’s house with his friend Ellie. At first he asks Connie to get in the car‚ but as time progresses he becomes more aggressive‚ demanding that she gets
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In Joyce Carol Oates story‚ "Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?" there are two main characters in the story one of them is Connie. She was a naïve fifteen year old teenage girl‚ and the other character is a psychopath named Arnold Friend. Connie is a typical teenager she hangs out with her friends going to the mall and movies‚ just basically out having fun without a care in the world. Arnold is a psychopath who appears to be like any human. In many cases‚ one would not be able to
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Are You Going‚ Where Have You Been? Innocent‚ young‚ naïve; this is how Connie was at her age of fifteen. She liked the attention boys gave her and how it made her feel. A man named Arnold Friend‚ whose much older than her‚ has stalked Connie and wants to convince her to go for a ride in his car. Connie doesn’t notice the man’s older features and this causes her young mind to contemplate going with Arnold in his car. Connie is more conflicted with herself‚ she battles to make the right choices especially
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women. Feeling undervalued in their homes and relationships with men‚ women questioned their role in society and the role that sex and gender played in their lives. In “Where Are You Going . . . ‚” Oates explores this social upheaval in miniature: Connie‚ one young woman out of a country of young women‚ must confront her own questions and anxieties as she transitions into adulthood. Her separation from her home and family is violent‚ and Arnold Friend is by no means a savior. But the sense of sweeping
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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. In the beginning of the story‚ Connie is said to have a habit
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protagonist‚ Connie‚ from Joyce Carol Oates short story “Where are you going‚ Where have you been.” Rather than heed the gut feeling most readers have at this moment in the story‚ Connie ignorantly emerges from her house and engages the stranger‚ Arnold Friend. As soon as she leaves the safety of her home‚ she has unknowingly surrendered to Arnold
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