Arnold Friend's Short Story 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'

"Soon as you touch the phone I don't need to keep my promise and can come inside. You won't want that” (Oates 7). This is an excerpt from the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” This story is from Joyce Carol Oates, written about a 15-year-old girl, Connie, and Arnold Friend whom this paper is about. From what the reader can determine from the text, Arnold Friend is a man that has been stalking Connie, for a while now.

Oate’s story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” examines a young girl that is caught up, in a religion of her own making leading to the worship of a false idol or image. As she approaches an age of not quite a woman but, yet not a child she faces many challenging choices. As she relies on her own form of religion she lacks the guidance to make moral decisions with any certainty. Arnold Friend enters her world and portrays himself as a friend and lover however, this seems to be a trap for the young girl. There are many signs that Connie is at a crossroads in her life and must choose a path to follow.

The story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, was written by Joyce Carol Oates. The setting of the story takes place in the 1960’s in a suburban type area. The story is about a 15-year old girl named Connie in which she spends most of her time hanging out with friends, meeting boys, and just being lazy. One night, during her time at the drive in restaurant, she encounters a man who she later finds out to be named Arnold Friend. One day, after Connie’s parents left to a family barbeque, Arnold shows up at Connie’s house asking her to join him for a ride.

He sees that Sonny's music is a bona fide reaction to life. He sees that one who makes music is managing the thunder ascending from the void and forcing request on it as it hits the air. He comprehends that his sibling's music is an endeavor to recharge the old human story For while the story of how we endure, and how we are enchanted, and how we may triumph is never new, it generally should be

The 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.

Home is where the heart is, but what if home is no longer safe? Joyce Carol Oates explores this concept in her 1966 short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”. On surface level, this story appears to discuss a rebellious young girl named Connie and her confrontation with Arnold Friend, a stalker. The ending leaves the reader to assume that Arnold Friend plans to sexually assault the young girl.

Ar no friend, the guy she ignored at the mall. An old fiend, would in fact be Arnold himself at the mall giving her fiendish looks. And arch fiend, the latter being another name for Satan. Symbolism is also found with Ellie Oscar.

Arnold Friend’s Biblical Allusions In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, Joyce Carol Oates tells a story of a young, innocent teenage girl, Connie who enjoys listening to music and begins exploring her sexuality and being with boys “the way it was in the movies and promised in songs” (Oates 198). In fact she catches the attention of Arnold Friend one night while at the mall meeting up with a boy. Not knowing he would appear in her life, Arnold strangely shows up at her house assuming they made plans to get together. His character is seen as the devil.

Myles Hypse February 3rd, 2017 English 1B 3:30-4:40pm Two Psychopaths Both of these stories give the reader a good look into the eyes of two psychopaths, who both refuse to take no for an answer. One of them, Arnold Friend although at first appearing friendly, is nothing more than a malicious predator, similar in kind to The Misfit, who greets his victims in a much more sinister way. The two characters, when stood side by side, almost seemed as they become one, yet are polar opposites. When one compares the character Arnold Friend to that of The Misfit, more similarities come forward than differences.

In 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.

In 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.

The short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates is about a teenage girl named Connie who is in the mist of her adolescent rebellion. She wants to prove her maturity to others and herself. In the story, Oates describes that Connie always lets her mind flow freely in between her daydream. She even creates and keeps dreaming about her ideal male figure in her mind to make her happy and satisfied. Oates allows the reader to step into Connie’s “dream world” through the appearance of Arnold Friend.

Carol Joyce Oates’ “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?” presents how falling into temptation leads to giving up control and innocence. Though her mother is unapproving of her actions, Connie spends her time seeking attention from male strangers. Home alone, Connie is approached by a compelling creature who convinces her to leave her life and join him on his unknown journey. Through disapproving her family, having multiple appearances, listening to music, and her desperation to receive attention from boys, Connie gives up control of herself losing the purity of adolescents and contributing to her detrimental fate. It is imperative that one should not be controlled because of a desire to impress others.

“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.

He knew her name even though she had only quickly glimpsed at him the night prior with no communication from her at all. He knows where her parents are, what they are doing, how long they will be, how they look he even knows who her best friends are. Essentially Arnold Friend is the very essence of nightmare to Connie he is everything she is afraid of. He pressures her in to a situation out of her control. He takes away her pride of rejecting people and forces her to choose her family being hurt of facing her demons and going with him.