Biblical Allusion in Joyce Carol Oates' Story "Where are You Going? Where Have You Been?"

In the short story there are many symbols that make Arnold Friend seem like an image of the devil. Many beliefs’ say that in order to lure another, the devil would have to appear to be something he is not. Arnold’s appearance made him look younger and cooler to attract Connie’s attention and distracted her from his real age and true intentions towards her. The boots that he wore on his feet, did not fit which made him stumble around as he walked as if he had hoofed feet like the devil. Another symbol that can relate Friend to the devil is when he repeatedly implied to Connie that he will not enter her house, a myth about the Anti-Christ says that he is not allowed to enter a house

Based on the actions and appearance of Arnold Friend, he is the devil. Arnold portrays the devil in many ways. The author of “Where are You Going, Where Have You Been”; Joyce Carol Oates, shows Arnold by his strange appearances, supernatural abilities, speech, odd symbols, and clues that state that he is the devil. When Connie first sees Arnold from the distance he thinks that he looks young and around her age, but later on in the story when she sees him up close she could tell he was a older man that was just attempting to make himself appear younger than he really is. Arnold Friend could be seen as a devil- like figure through his appearance. The idea of him being devil- like because of the temptation element. In looking to attract another, the

The antagonist of “Where are you going, Where have you been” written by Joyce Carol Oates, is no ordinary guy. Arnold Friends,a dynamic, round character with a charming but controlling personality, seems to be the embodiment of Atropos. A greek deity known as the moirai who is said to be the controller of fate, or specifically, one’s death. He talks a lot but reveal nothing about himself, a sign of emotionally manipulative person, someone who is able to zero in on one’s weakness, like Connie’s romantic fantasies.) Like the typical bad boy archetype he offered to take her away from the dull drone of her suburban life. But that explain how it links to arnold being atropos lmao/how death takes you away. With the quality of a calm and deep, sing-song

Connie begins to break away from her dull and boring life with her family and begins to test the strengths of her sexuality, Arnold on the other-hand is viewed as the devil’s traditional role of a seducer and deceiver through the reader’s psychological view. Arnold Friend is the nightmare version of Connie’s dreams and desires, Arnold

Indeed, Arnold Friend could be an allegorical devil figure, the protagonist who lures Connie into riding off with him in his car, or, in the contrary, far more a grotesque portrait of a psychopathic killer masquerading as a teenager. However, he has all the traditional, sinister traits of that arch deceiver and source of grotesque terror, the devil, with his painted eyelashes, shaggy hair, and stuffed boots.

It is evident that this Arnold Friend poses as someone he’s not. Arnold has revealed himself as the devil trying to lure Connie with his friendship, his manipulation, and seduction. When Connie first sees Arnold she is seating in the car with Edddie. He appears as “a boy with shaggy black hair, in a convertible jalopy painted gold.” (Oates) He wagged a finger and laughed and said, “Gonna get you, baby.” He didn’t get off and talk to her, but yet acted

In Joyce Carol Oates “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, the reader becomes increasingly aware of the innate threat that Arnold poses. Oates particularly portrays this through the selection of detail in the encounters between Connie and Arnold, beginning at the drive-in restaurant and again in the following scenes of the short story. These details explicitly express the nature of his character, therefore, allowing the reader to interpret them as foreshadowing.

     Arnold Friend interpretation of the Devil or evil is quite vast. So much has been written on even the slightest of similarities its impossible to find every meaning behind him and his actions. 'In the parking lot Friend signs Connie with an 'X';. Friend always had a habit of wagging his

Charles Baudelaire once said, “la plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas. (the devil’s finest trick is to persuade you that he does not exist).” The deceit that Connie experiences throughout the story influences the behaviors and perspectives that she has on her own life, changing the initial thoughts that she had towards her family. In the short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, Connie encountered a guy named Eddie where they spent a few hours in a restaurant that later led them to being in an alley. Though this moment seemed to of little significance to Connie, an incident with a strange man, Arnold Friend, later on in the story left Connie with an unsettling

In the Oates’s short story Arnold Friend shows a great amount of charisma about him in the way he communicates. The narrator of the story showing how smooth talk by Arnold attracts and interests Connie, but even when Connie refused and his tone got crueler, at the end of the day Arnold still got what he wanted. Although Connie is very uncomfortable with Arnold’s persuasion to get into his vehicle, Arnold still manages to tempt and intimidate her to come along with him. A great quote from the narrator about Connie gives her character away right away saying, “It was a car Connie didn't know. It was an open jalopy, painted a bright gold that caught the sunlight opaquely. Her heart began to pound and her fingers snatched at her hair, checking it, and she whispered, "Christ, Christ," wondering how badly she looked.” Connie had no idea who the person in the car was, that’s why Arnold brings a nice car to show it off to her and the other girls so she can have no hesitations coming and falling for him. Friend manipulates girls by his cool looks and showy things like the car, overall he does it so calm it catches Connie off guard therefore makes her fall for every lie and smoothness of his talks very fast. In O’Connor’s story the Misfit’s talents are not as obvious as Arnold’s, he is very easy going. When he comes across the family on the road

Appearance One of the things about Arnold Friend that cause one to believe he is the Devil is his appearance. From head to toe, his appearance is meant to be deceptive. He is roughly thirty years old, and dresses like a teenager. Friend has black shaggy hair that looks like a wig, black thick lashes, and a five o’clock shadow. In literature, it is common for dark hair to symbolize an evil character, and that is definitely the case here. Friend’s face is

In mythology, the phrase “Lord of the flies” is interpreted as the popular translation for Beelzebub, which is a demon or the devil himself. The Lord of the Flies is a fiction novel written by William Golding and is first published in 1954. Although the story was not a success at first, this modern classic went on to becoming one of the best-selling novels of all time, and was awarded noble prize for literature. Golding sadly passed away in 1993, but till this day is one of the most highly respected and honoured authors. The cover intends to be closely observed and analyzed so that we can predict the story’s main theme, along with the different events that may occur.

Consequently, it is because of the ideal she’s fulfilling that Connie is so incredibly vulnerable to the dangers of Arnold Friends tactics since it prevents her from defending herself in time to save herself, both emotionally and physically. Arnold Friend, at first glance, embodies everything Connie appreciates. An open, bright gold jalopy, shaggy black hair, wears sunglasses, seemingly suave talking about his car and enticing her with a ride, and “Connie liked the way he’s dressed, which was the way all of them dressed: tight, faded jeans stuffed into black, scuffed boots, a belt that pulled his waist in and showed how lean he was, and a white pull-over shirt that was a little soiled and showed the hard small muscles of his arms and

Arnold Friend is a mysterious, creepy man who takes over Connie when her parents are away. Arnold’s name is connected to “An Old Friend” if you take out the r on Arnold. Friend is misinterpreted though when the description of him states he is “a boy with shaggy, black hair, in a convertible jalopy painted gold”(1).  Oates

By living a life based on vanity and lust, Connie invites evil into her life. The author indicates that Arnold Friend is Satan by alluding to certain clues the