Arnold Friend Theme
Joyce Carol Oates dedicated “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” to Bob Dylan, because Carol has claimed that the story was influenced by Dylan’s haunting song “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.” The story contains a reflection of the song’s lyrics, such as the following: “The vagabond who’s rapping at your door / Is standing in the clothes that you once wore / Strike another match, go start anew / And it’s all over now, Baby Blue.” Dylan himself is mirrored in the figure of Arnold Friend. Dylan and Arnold are the same but more significant is how each man is perceived. In the story, Arnold Friend is a kind of this type of person and has come to take Connie away, and ultimately powerless to disobey him. At one point, Connie observes that Arnold’s voice sounds like the voice of the radio DJ, Bobby King. The DJ’s first name is a link to Dylan’s first name, and the DJ’s involvement in the music world evokes Dylan’s. Oates’s recalling feeling of Bob Dylan is purposeful, adding the power to the story. Oates 's short story also speaks to the song culture that was Dylan 's, which had much influence on teens. For example, Connie listened to the music that made everything even good, “ the music was always in the background like music at a church service, it was something to depend upon”. And, it is music that lures Connie, just as many teens of Dylan 's era were lured by his lyrics and music, although Ms. Oates does not perceive Dylan 's as subversive or dangerous. Interestingly, however, to deceive Connie, Arnold Friend mimics Dylan in the …show more content…
“It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” is a great song, with a colorful cast of characters, a plaintive chorus, and a memorable message. In a way, it treads similar ground as “Like A Rolling Stone” and the “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” Things are happening you can’t even see. “Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you. Forget the dead you’ve left, they will not follow you.” Change with the times or be left in
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Arnold Friend Character
890 Words | 4 PagesShe sees the boys who give her attention as subjugations who “dissolve into a single face that was not even a face but an idea” (Oates 675). But soon enough her dreams and music materialize into the shape of Arnold Friend. Arnold Friend is described as a muscular, older, and mysterious character. He seems to be a work of her imagination as he is ultimately an idea she created that would fit into her perfect fantasy world. Connie is defenseless to Arnold Friend’s manipulations mainly because she has no visible identity of her own.
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
Analysis Of 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'
1092 Words | 5 PagesHowever, this changes when Arnold together with a friend show up at Connie’s home while her parents are away. She realizes there is more to Arnold than meets the eye and that her life and that of her family could be in danger. An article written in an issue of life magazine in 1966
Joyce Carol Oates Use Of Foreshadow
321 Words | 2 PagesJoyce Carol Oates uses physical characterization to foreshadow early on what truly is going to happen to Connie. Arnold is hiding things about his physical appearance. No matter what Connie says or does, Arnold keeps talking, and yet he reveals nothing about himself. He never physically asks Connie to join him, but his words have the same force and pull as the actions he only threatens to take. "Soon
Analysis Of Where Are You Going Where Have You Been
1181 Words | 5 PagesThe short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” was written by the author Joyce Carol Oates in 1966. Oates describes her idea for the story after briefly reading an article about the real-life murderer, Charles Schmid, who lured and murdered three teenage girls (Kirszner & Mandell 523). She uses this idea to create the character, Arnold Friend, and his victim, Connie. Connie is a typical teenage girl portrayed as naïve and self-centered. The short story appears realistic, given that the conflict in the story is based off of real events.
Symbolism In 'Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?'
700 Words | 3 PagesAlthough he’s older than Arnold, he’s only riding shotgun but he’s taking orders from Arnold which gives him the impression of being the Devil’s advocate. In conclusion, conclusion “For Bob Dylan”, reads the dedication in the story’s initial’s publication. Few years prior to this story’s initial release Dylan recorded a song “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue”, which has lyrics such as
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Theme Analysis
1255 Words | 6 PagesConnie uses her attitude and appearance to attract boys. But she is not aware of the reality of the society in which she lives. Connie is living in a fantasy world, but when she gets trapped by Arnold Friend she is put into a scary reality. There
Examples Of Allusions In Where Are You Going Where Have You Been
854 Words | 4 PagesHe mysteriously knows where Connie lives and invites himself to drive over to her house. Arnold assumes Connie’s friendship by convincing her that he knows everything and everybody, “I know your name and all about you” (Oates 201) when she never told him her name in the first place. He knew her friends, their names as well as what she did the night before. He also knew exactly where Connie’s family was, at a BBQ at Connie’s aunt Tille’s.
Sonny's Blues: The Harlem Renaissance
934 Words | 4 PagesSonny's Blues was written in 1957, 37 years after the roaring twenties had come to an end. Long after the great Migration, where millions of blacks moved to northern cities to escape Jim Crow, and embrace the new found possibilities offered. During this period African-Americans in New York, collectively gathered in Harlem mainly, it was usually alluded to as the black capital. There blacks shared culturally and also, influenced music greatly. This is also where the "new negro" persona was crafted, blacks were no longer going to be referred to as someone's mammies or boy.
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Arnold Friend Comparison
1190 Words | 5 PagesIn the story Connie loves music and it is the one thing she can “depend upon” (p. 36). Joyce Carol Oates starts the story by dedicating it to Bob Dylan and throughout the story there are many similarities shared between him and Arnold; they even shares physical similarities. In an article by Mike Tierce and Michael Crafton, they point out that both Arnold Friend and Bob Dylan have “shaggy, shabby black hair that looked crazy as a wig” (p. 40), “long hawk like nose” (p. 42), and he is “only an inch or two taller than Connie” (p. 42). They even compare Arnold Friend’s “fast, bright monotone voice” (p. 40) to Bob Dylan’s. It is quite possible for Arnold Friend to actually just be a representation of Bob Dylan and have nothing to do with being the devil.
Literary Devices In Where Are You Going Where Have You Been
804 Words | 4 PagesIn her short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", Joyce Carol Oates utilizes a variety of literary devices to strengthen the story in its entirety. This short story is essentially about a 16-year-old girl named Connie and the conflict between her desire to be mature and her desire to remain an adolescent. Throughout the story, the audience sees this conflict through her words in addition to through her behavior. The audience is also introduced to Arnold Friend, a rather peculiar man, who essentially kidnaps her. This short story by Joyce Carol Oates functions and is additionally meaningful because of her usage of literary devices.
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…”
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.
Character Analysis Of Connie In 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been'
984 Words | 4 Pages“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” is about a teenager named Connie who is trying to come to terms with her transformation from childhood to adulthood. Through this process, Connie attempts to act older than she is an tries to gain the attention of boys. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” Joyce Oates portrays Connie as obsessed with men to symbolize how one’s obsession and narcissistic attitude can cause danger to seem surreal. In the short story, Carol Oates describes Connie as having two different personalities, one being a narcissistic attitude.
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.
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