Arnold Friend as a Devil Character in Where Are You Going Where Have You Been

People don’t reveal they're true self until its too late. When time goes by people finally show their true colors. In the short story by Joyce Carol Oates,” Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Arnold Friend is portrayed as something like the devil itself. Through Oates description of how he looks, it may tell the readers how a devil may look as well. Also, the actions he takes to get what he wants might be described as creepy and it may even though it may hurt another person. In addition, the dialogue of Arnold Friend may tell you a few things he has on his mind. Oates makes a well-developed chacater by giving specific details on how Arnold is and who he really is. Oates makes the story something realistic because before she wrote the story she looked into other stories that would be beneficial towards her own Short story. Throughout the short story, the reader may get a big look at what Oates is trying to portray by representing a devil inside the character. At the end of the story it may shock many because on how Arnold especially talks to Connie. By Oates describing Arnold as a weird type of guy, it seems like Arnold is fake to the bone. “He had shaggy, shabby black hair that looked crazy as a wig and he was grinning at her”(Approaching Literature p. 131), by the description it shows a random guy dressing up to be another person and wanting so much more than being friends. Right after it also says that his friend and himself were wearing sunglasses not showing how old he actually looked like.

There is a big part that describes how a devil would look like when Connie says,” He was standing in a strange way, leaning back against the car as if he were balancing himself”(Approaching Literature p. 132). When a person thinks about the devil sometimes it is portrayed as a goat. By saying that he needs a leverage to be able to stand it makes it seem like he had huffs for feet. Also, the outfit he was wearing was protecting him by showing his real identity. When Oates did her background before writing the story she wanted to make up a man who was almost the same as the man who raped and murdered three people. She wanted it to seem like a handsome man rescuing a girl in distress. By showing how Arnold was interested in Connie music and how he looked it made it a little easier for Connie to accept her destiny with him. Even though Arnold's friend Ellie did not talk throughout the story he seemed a little off. How Connie described him it seemed like he couldn’t do much just sit there and watch Arnold do his magic. It also seems like he might be the helping the devil. In fact, Ellie may be another type of devil related character but is not really shown to the readers. Arnold knew that Connie would fall for him and go for him at the end because of how he looked and what he liked. He was the perfect man for her and no other person would be able to capture his eyes. Although describing Arnold shows how he may seem the actions he takes makes him what he really is, a devil. The real actions are shown right before and right after Arnold says,” Ellie and I come out here especially for you,’He said. ’Ellie can sit in back. How about it?”.

When Connie met Arnold the first time outside the diner she felt a weird vibe with him around her. After she found out he was outside her house the next day she was courage about him and who he was. At first, Arnold is shown as an awesome guy who knows what Connie likes and asks her questions on questions. After a while, Arnold is getting irritated by Connie saying “No” so many times. He starts saying, ”I took a special interest in you, such a pretty girl, and found out all about you - like I know your parents and sister are gone some-wheres and I know where and how long they’re going to be gone, and I know who you were with last night…”(Approaching Literature p. 133) it starts freaking Connie out. By Arnold responding to Connie where her family was at it shows that he was not just a random guy who wanted to be more than friends. When a person thinks about another person knowing your personal business it would feel like they are stalking them and wanting to hurt them in some way or another. Throughout the end of the short story, Arnold demands her to go with him and forget all about her life because if she doesn’t he may hurt her family. Knowing that Arnold knew so much about her family and her life made it seem like death. Also, it should the evil in many ways when Arnold would be asking and asking her to leave with him in her own will. The actions that took place at Connie's house was mostly on how Arnold would talk to her, calm but disturbed. Throughout the short story, Oates describes and show the actions of Arnold as a symbol of the devil. Even though at first glance it seems like a crazy man trying to kidnap Connie, but by her own will. When Connie was at the Diner with her friend she met Arnold for the first time and the first thing he did was draw an “X” in the air. “Don’t you know I’m your friend? Didn’t you see me put my sign in the air when you walked by?” Oates makes it seem like Arnold marked Connie as his pray. In an article it says,” X has been an acceptable representation of the word “Christ” for hundreds of years”, Arnold may have marked Connie with the symbol “X” because he knew that Christ wouldn’t help her. In the begging of the story before Connie meant Arnold she talks about how her family.

How her mother specially doesn’t understand her and she would want her mother to die as well as herself right after, she meant Arnold. When Connie finally realized that Arnold was not a normal guy she gave up. Although, before Connie finally realizes that she must go with him and forget about her life she goes inside her house to try to get away from him. Arnold says,” Yes, I’m your lover. You don’t know what that is but you will”(Approaching Literature p. 135), but he does not enter her house. In stories about the devil or death itself people say that he can not enter your house unless you invite them in. When Oates was writing the short story she looked into the bible and stories about the devil. Another part of the story that talks about the bible is when Arnold talks about his car. He says the meaning towards the numbers on the car are,” A secret code”. Also, Oates based Arnold with a real person and those three numbers were the ages of the three victims he raped and murdered. By knowing the background of what the numbers meant it showed so much more about the character itself. At the end of the short story everyones, true colors are shown. How Arnold is evil in heart but tries to act like he is kind. By Oates showing the readers a well developed character it portrayed Arnold as the devil itself. By describing how Arnold is it shows how the devil may look like. Though the actions he takes to get what he wants are more surprising. Also, how he talks during the dialogue makes it a great way to succeed on his goals. Throughout the story Oates opens the reader's eyes on how Arnold gets what he wants at the end. Oates helps this short story by going beyond just a story.

Before she started writing “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” she went behind stories about murders and the bible itself. She combined other stories into hers and made it seem like it was all in her head. Arnold is a well developed character and may have different meanings towards different people. People are not who they seem like in the begging of a story but throughout the bad and good it really shows the real them.