Arnold Friend Allusion
Culture, the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively, can be defined by music, clothes, paintings, drawings, TV shows, etc. Joyce Carol Oates in her short story Where are you Going, Where Have you Been? explores the effects of music on an American teen. By making allusions to the church and utilizing music as a motif she explores the moral poverty of American pop culture and the ways it makes people vulnerable. Moral poverty of American pop culture means that in pop songs there really aren’t songs with meaning, that they create idealistic situations. Different people connect with music in different ways, for many teens music can be an escape from their real lives and show them a sort of promised …show more content…
Allusions of the church accompany the charcter of Arnold Friend that solidify this idea of music as religion. When you take the r’s out of Arnold Friend you get: an old fiend. A fiend is defined by a demonic spirit and some would say the devil. This would work as a description of Arnold Friend as his physical appearance makes him seem like something less then human for example when he steps up the stairs his boot turns outward in an unnatural way. Bibilical references also accompany Arnold Friend’s demonic qualities, the numbers 33, 19, 17 are painted on the side of his Jalopy. This can be interpreted as an allusion to Judges 19:17 and Genesis 19:17. Both passages are about traveling away from one place. In Genesis, God is telling Abraham to leave his home for the promised land of Cannan: “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father 's house, unto a land that I will show thee” (12:1). The interaction between Connie and Arnold Friend echoes of this passage. Friend coaxes Connie to leave her, “Daddy’s house,” and promises that he’ll show her a special land: "We 'll go out to a nice field, out in the country here where it smells so nice and it 's sunny.” In this promised land he’ll show her the way love was “in movies and promised in songs.” When Connie leaves with Arnold Friend it is cruelly ironic, as she is not leaving for the promised land rather she is being led to her own
Analysis Of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
1033 Words | 5 PagesIn “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” there are many theories as to who Arnold Friend is and what his role. The story does not introduce Arnold till the middle and end of the story when Arnold Friend and Ellie Oscar, his friend, decides to pull up to Connie’s house trying to be gentle, but threatening at the same time. The tone sets the mood of the story, the way he talks is suave, so he doesn’t scare her as much but you could sense a little of annoyance in his voice when she refuses. He asks her to come ride with him, but then starts to threaten her family so she would get out the house and be with him.
Arnold Friend Character Analysis
1432 Words | 6 PagesThe first time Connie meets Arnold Friend is at the restaurant. Her beauty attracts him, and he can see the type of character she has. Arnold says, “Gonna get you, baby.” Connie doesn’t think much of it, but little does she know that this is the beginning to her nightmare, or freedom. The next morning on a Sunday Connie doesn’t bother to go to church which could have prevented her from being in the situation with sin.
Arnold Friend Symbolism
1595 Words | 7 Pages“The Devil doesn’t come dressed in a red cape and pointy horns. He comes as everything you ever wished for…” -Tucker Max. This idea is certainly proven in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates. The story recounts the day of Connie, a fifteen year old girl with neglectful parents, rebellious intentions, and an infatuation for older men.
Analysis Of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
607 Words | 3 PagesOne day while she was home alone, a man named Arnold Friend showed up at her door. He wanted to take her out for a ride and go on a date. Connie was cautious around him due to how old he looked and his sexual remarks towards her. Strange things began to happen and she eventually left with Arnold Friend. The story does not give a clear explanation as to what happened to Connie, but it was not a good thing.
Arnold Friend Symbolism
1452 Words | 6 PagesHaving good intentions for everyone can be a problem. Good intentions are when a person does not believe anyone is harmful. The story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” was published in January 2004. Joyce Carol Oates has written many other stories. Some other works that she is also known for is We Were The Mulvaney’s, Blonde, and The Falls.
Arnold Friend Character Analysis
1137 Words | 5 PagesHowever, this is countered when Connie notes that “he was much older—thirty, maybe more” (315), a fact that frightens her. What Arnold is to Connie is a challenge of her want to be an adult, and a trail of her ability to deal with adult issue. Such as a man who singles her out sexual reason. Her wish to be an adult is something she seeks while passively avoiding it. Her avoidance is marked by day dreams of puppy love romance, like a typical teenager; yet, her attractive flaunt to be mature is presented as if she seeks to be an
Examples Of Allusions In Where Are You Going Where Have You Been
854 Words | 4 PagesHe tries to seduce and persuade her to go with him for a ride similar to how the Devil lured Eve with a shiny and mysterious apple. Oates displays evidence of biblical allusions regarding Arnold Friend’s appearance and persona in the story by depicting his physical characteristics, his supernatural knowledge, and his demeanor as an image of evil. Connie wants to be desired for her sexuality and Arnold possesses this by his tone throughout the story. His appearance comes
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Arnold Friend Comparison
1190 Words | 5 PagesIn Joyce Carol Oates fictional short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” the majority of the story lies beneath the surface. More specifically than just the story, you realize that there is more to the character Arnold Friend than what may appear. The author has always remained silent and ambiguous about the real meaning of Arnold Friend’s true nature and she leaves room for the readers to make their own interpretation of him. Readers can analyze Arnold Friend and see him as the devil, he could just be the personification of popular music imagined by Connie in a dream, but Arnold Friend could also be the result of drug use.
Analysis Of Where Are You Going Where Have You Been
1203 Words | 5 PagesThroughout the story, there are many instances: the illogical time and settings, the similarity between Arnold and Connie and the unrealistic events show that the meeting between Connie and Arnold Friend is a dream. The dream is also a preparation for Connie before she steps onto the stage of being an adult. Connie’s dream begins when she refuses to go to her aunt’s house for barbecue party. She stays home, and under the warmness of the sun, she begins her day dreaming about love and the boy she has met the night before. In the beginning, the author writes “Connie sat with her eyes closed in the sun…”
An Analysis Of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? By Joyce Carol Oates
441 Words | 2 PagesDue to her poor relationship with her family, Connie did not want to ever be around them. In the story is says that during summer vacation she went out “several times a week” (87) with her friend. Then on what appears to be Connie’s last day alive, she refuses to go to a picnic with her family and ends up meeting Arnold Friend and Ellie Oscar, who eventually will take her
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Arnold Friend Analysis
817 Words | 4 PagesReluctantly, her parents allow her to stay home alone. A few hours later, a familiar gold jalopy pulls up to her house. The driver announces to Connie that his name is Arnold Friend. His unusual physical appearance, his tone of voice, and what he may symbolize frighten the Connie.
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Literary Analysis
694 Words | 3 PagesOates’s biography explained her fiction writing as a mixture violence and sexual obsession. The writing style definitely fits the plot point of this story with both of her literary ingredients being present in not only Arnold Friend but in Connie as well. The Protagonist Connie is presented in a very self-centered way. She is obsessed with her looks and often fantasizes about all the boys she meets.
An Analysis Of Joyce Carol Oates 'Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?'
596 Words | 3 PagesConnie was unable to see the men's true personality until they removed their glasses, which like Connie, a person who has multiple sides. They use similar expressions throughout the story, for example, “Christ” and the use of the word “dope” this further links the two characters personalities. At the end of the story, after Arthur stops Connie from calling the police, she willingly joins the two men. This shows Connie ignoring her superego- calling the police- to succumb to her id (8, 9). Connie once asks, “how come we never saw you before?” to which Arthur replies, “Sure you saw me before… You just don’t remember” these lines also illustrate the tendency for a person to repress their ultimate desires (5).
Cultural Appropriation In Fashion
1196 Words | 5 PagesAppropriation is the act of borrowing and changing the meaning of cultural products, images, slogans and elements as well as reusing existing elements to create new works and meanings. Many artists believe that in borrowing existing images or elements of imagery, they are able to recreate the idea as it is now placed within a new concept. This essay will discuss how appropriation has been used in cultural and social contexts in order to create controversy and sell products, as well as be a form of expression. Pop culture often uses brash ways when trying to provide interest in society. As humans we are constantly wanting more and are never fully satisfied without entertainment, thus in order to meet these high demands many often turn to cultural appropriation as a void of entertainment.
Popular Music Research
1408 Words | 6 PagesThe following will investigate and exhibit other potential perspectives surrounding the definition of the term popular music and highlights important historical events and figures to the development of this area of study. The growing acknowledgement of the sociological aspect of music since the unsteady, textual beginning of Popular Music Studies has been a positive development in academia, however, whether a definition should be in terms of social characteristics, aesthetics or both is yet to be generally agreed-upon and requires further academic discussion. A Historical Perspective As an academic focus, popular music studies has always been under dispute.
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