Character Analysis Of Arnold Friend In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
The short story “Where Are you Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates brings a dark transition of a child to an adult. Connie, the main character, is a young girl with all the care-free worries of someone her age. She day-dreams about romance and love through the popular songs on the radio, spends evenings with friends at the local shopping mall and dive diner, and flirts with boys. Like many girls her age, Connie seems to sleep-walk through life, dancing to a tune that only she can hear or understand. But this is cut away when she meets a stranger named Arnold Friend. Arnold Friend’s sudden appearance in Connie’s life takes her from childhood to adulthood in the blink of an eye and she ultimately becomes a passive victim. Not many fifteen-year-old girls are considered mature at that age and Connie is certainly no exception to that. She is presented as quite vain in her views of herself and those around her. Her mother, once a beauty herself, is constantly nagging at her and telling her to stop gawking at herself in the mirror. Connie considers her older sister June to be somewhat of a spinster who is described as “plain and chunky” (Oates …show more content…
One evening after sneaking to the diner across the high-way from the shopping plaza, Connie and her best friend meet a boy named Eddie. Charmed by his flirtations, Connie agrees to leave her friend for a few hours in favor of spending time with Eddie. When the two are walking to his car, they pass by a gold jalopy in the parking-lot. It is here that Connie first lays eyes upon Arnold Friend. He stares at her, grins, and as Connie is walking away from him she can’t help but look back at him again. Her curiosity gives way to caution when he says deviously, “Gonna get you, baby” (Oates 2). As she hurries away, Eddie notices nothing abnormal and they spend the evening together. To her, the night is a success when she judges the attention received from
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Summary
983 Words | 4 Pages“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, written by Joyce Carol Oates, is a short story that takes place in a 1960’s American suburb where tight jeans and slicked back hair is the popular style. The story takes place around a young fifteen year old girl, Connie, who has family issues and enjoys going out with her friends whether it be to the mall, movies, or drive-in restaurant. At the restaurant, Connie is noticed by a man with an odd car who later finds her alone at her house and seductively forces her to come with him and leave her family. This short story demonstrates an allegory. While on the surface it seems to be just a story of a vain girl who is “voluntarily abducted”, it actually represents the temptation of death (Oats 1).
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Arnold Friend Character Analysis
860 Words | 4 PagesIn Joyce Carol Oates short story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been , the deception of appearances plays a colossal role in the development of the story. Characters are not what they seem and are portrayed differently than the person they truly are. When the main character tries to make herself become something she is not, she leaves herself open to a person doing the exact same thing. The story focuses on the protagonist, fifteen year old Connie, who believes that she is too far from adulthood and finds herself longing to be older.
Arnold Friend Character Analysis
1432 Words | 6 PagesSlowly as she begins to notice things about Friend that aren’t right, Connie starts to see more adult like. She starts to notice that he’s not a teenager, but a lot older, and that he is not a friend but far more evil. When Arnold says, “I’m your lover honey…you don’t know what this is, but you will” (Oates 348), Connie falls into shock and starts panics. She tries to break from him, but his slick talk prevents her from doing so. Forcing Connie to come out, Connie is fenced in Arnolds trap.
Arnold Friend Symbolism
1412 Words | 6 PagesLiving “just an ordinary girl’s” life was no longer the lifestyle for a girl named Connie. Once a man told her that she was gonna be his, her life turned. Connie was no longer able to forget about reality instead she was forced into adulthood by a man named Arnold Friend. Connie is the main character in the short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, by Joyce Carol Oates. The story is mainly about how Arnold Friend, a sort of stalker of Connie’s, comes to her house.
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Character Analysis Essay
995 Words | 4 PagesIn Joyce Carol Oates’ highly acclaimed short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Oates tells the story of a fictional adolescent girl named Connie that has a run in with pure evil itself in the shape of a man named Arnold Friend. Arnold Friend, a man dressed as a boy that she once saw at a drive-in, shows up at Connie’s house one afternoon when her family is away and tells her that if she does not come out of her house and go away and have sex with him then he will kill her whole family. Throughout the story Connie is shown to be an extreme narcissist, constantly staring at herself and basking in her profound beauty. Connie is a typical teenage girl that only seems to care about boys what others think of her
Arnold Friend Symbolism
1290 Words | 6 PagesAt home she had a childlike walk, a pale and smirking mouth, and a cynical laugh; at home Connie was a child. In public, Connie acted like someone different, with a languid walk, bright pink lips and a high-pitched laugh; Connie tried to fit in with the older kids. Based on the way she presents herself, Connie seems to be able to attract guys’ attention and handle any situation with grace. However, just as the confrontation between the two showed Friend’s true character, the confrontation showed Connie’s as well. After her nerves overcame her, Connie reached for the phone to call for help, but all she could hear was a tiny roaring and was “so sick with fear that she could do nothing but listen to it” and then “she cried out, she cried for her mother, she felt her breath start jerking back and forth into her lungs as if it were something Arnold Friend was stabbing her with” (13).
Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Arnold Friend Character
890 Words | 4 PagesArnold Friend was there to take Connie away; away from her childhood and home, which never quite felt like home until her fantasy world deteriorated and reality set it. The next moment is pivotal, this is when Connie forgets her hedonism and becomes something of much more substance. Before Connie studies Arnold Friend’s abnormal personality and erratic behavior she is fascinated by him and even worries that she is ill prepared for this
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 Character Analysis
1350 Words | 6 PagesArnold randomly shows up to Connie’s house one day and shows that he knows Connie from the back of his hand without Connie knowing a thing about Arnold. He refuses to leave unless Connie comes with him. Not having the necessary
Where You Going Where Have You Been Arnold Friend Character Analysis
1413 Words | 6 PagesWhen Arnold came to the restaurant for the first time he didn’t know the real Connie. To Arnold was just it is girl who is chiefly considered as a desirable rather than a girl to take seriously. Connie is amazed with by the boy appearance with shaggy black hair, in a convertible jalopy (car) painted gold. Connie has dreamed about the boys she saw ever since she went to the restaurant and she believed she like. This wouldn’t have happened if Connie's aspect wouldn't have captured Arnold eyes.
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.
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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