Arnold Friend's Real Age example essay topic

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Joyce Carol Oates was born in 1938 in Lockport, New York. She started writing very young and that the age of fifteen she submitted her first novel, but it was rejected for being 'too dark'; . This style of writing is common on many of her works including 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?' ; Oates graduated from Syracuse University and then went on to get her master's degree from the University of Wisconsin.

Oates 'turned much often in her writing to everyday characters, which she often placed in situations that were both psychologically and socially terrifying. ' ; (Short Stories For Students 258) Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? is based on a killer in the southwest names Charles 'Smitty'; Schmid was charged of rape and murder of three young girls in the fall of 1965 in Tucson, Arizona. 'Oates wrote the story after hearing Dylan's song 'Its All Over Now, Baby Blue'; Oates also has dedicated the story to Dylan which has brought about a fair amount of mystery and speculation. (Joyce Carol Oates, Raines) Connie, a fifteen year old girl who likes to go off and have fun with her friends, meet and dream about boys and the idea of a perfect life and relationship is the main target of a clever malicious stalker, a man who intends to kidnap, rape and murder her.

'She (Connie) is caught between her roles as a daughter, friend, sister, and object of sexual desire uncertain of which one represents the real her. ' ; (Short Stories For Students 259) Creighton writes 'Oates captures so well the viciousness, cheapness and narcissism of life for Connie and her friends who have nothing better to do than to stroll up and down a shopping center plaza looking for excitement. ' ; Connie is blind to the real world which surrounds her and ironically enough, it leads to her death. She opens up herself too much to life and believes nothing will ever hurt her. The music and movies she enjoys are her ideals of how her life will be for her in the future. Connie is first aware of Arnold Friend when she is out on a date and she noticed a 'a boy with black hair and a gold 'jalopy'-a beat up sports car- staring at her.

' ; (White) Death and the Maiden was the original name for this story. Oates chose that to 'allocate the fatal attraction of death (or the devil) for a young woman who is seduced by her own vanity. ' ; (Short Stories for Students 261) Many critics have interpreted Arnold Friend as a 'symbol of some larger idea or force, such as the devil, death or sexuality. ' ; (Short Stories For Students 263) Arnold Friend's most outstanding characteristic was his appearance. Friend has 'shaggy black hair that looked crazy as a wig. His nose was long and hawk like and his most devilish of features was his eyes, which looked like chips of broken glass that caught the light'; (Devilish Qualities of Friend, Collins) Friend seemed to know everything about Connie.

He knew where her family was, what they were doing, and even small details like what her sister was wearing. That gives the reader an eerie feeling, almost a foreshadowing of how much power Friend has over Connie. The name Arnold Friend brings up a lot of speculation. Of course the last name 'Friend'; is highly ironic because that is the last thing Arnold wants, to be her friend. Linda F. Raines, the author of Joyce Carol Oates writes an 'interesting interpretation of Arnold Friend's name involves removing some of the letters in order to see the 'secret meaning'; behind the name: ARNOLD FRIEND Now, minus the 'R'; in Arnold and the 'R'; in Friend he takes on a new, possibly truer identity: AN OLD FIEND. ' ; 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 finger as if to remind her he was in control. ' ; (Collins) The fact that Arnold Friend came for Connie on a Sunday is an example of how he intended to use his power and go against God on HIS day. Friend tries to disguise his look to appeal to Connie. 'The Demon will come in disguise, ageless fiend that is, and he must be invited inside.

He cannot take a soul by force'; (White) The Devil cannot cross the threshold without invitation. The most talked about and most often analyzed part of the story is the numbers 33, 19, 17 that are written on the side of Arnold's car. The most common interpretation is that added all together the numbers equal 69, a common sexual expression. Mark Robson states there is an 'illusion to Judges 19: 17-the number 33 referring to the fact that Judges is the thirty-third book from the end of the Old Testament. ' ; (Piwinski 196) Although 'more ironic than convincing'; Piwinski agrees that there should be a simpler meaning. Hurley's interpretation focuses on the sum of numbers 33, 19, 17.

'Friend's real age, the ages of two of his previous victims may be a reference to his next victim-Connie, who is 15 years old. The first number, 33 may be Arnold Friend's real age. ' ; (Piwinski 196) As suggested 'He wasn't a kid, he was much older-thirty, maybe more. ' ; (Oates) 'If 19 and 17 refer to the ages of his last victims then this agrees with the story of the murder rapist that killed the girls, of the same age, in Tucson, Arizona. (Piwinski 196) 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee' (Genesis 12: 1, King James Version) '; (Piwinski 196) Arnold Friend's seduction is filled with ironic echoes of this verse. For example, 'Friend coaxes Connie to leave her 'daddy's house'; by playing on her estrangement from her family.

Telling her that her family doesn't care about her forcing Connie to go with him. Leaving her 'father's house'; and her 'kindred'; , Friend promises to show Connie the special land. ' ; (Piwinski 196) Arnold knows that Connie dreams of romance and love, He plays on her emotions to make her do what he wants. By the time Arnold asks her 'what else is there for a girl like you but to be sweet and pretty and give in?' ; Connie feels like she can do nothing but comply, trusting her 'incomplete identity'; to the end, she is lead to ruin. (Short Stories For Students 262) Connie's natural instinct to flirt becomes a negative trait. She thinks she can use her looks and her sexuality to get herself out of a bad situation.

Connie is so naive, she doesn't have the intelligence and self confidence to realize Friend's manipulation to her mind and body, therefor we come to a conclusion she will not make it out alive. Connie is used to boys, and looks at Arnold as just another boy she knows how to handle. He flatters her and makes her want to know 'what real love is like'; . (Oates) Even though the story is left with no resolution, we suspect by the tone of the story and the force in which Arnold Friend takes over Connie that she will be raped and murdered.

The only hint of the resolution is the statement made by Arnold when he said 'ill come inside you where its all secret'; and show Connie 'what real love is like'; , statements that hint rape. Similarly, Connie says 'im not going to see my mother again'; or 'sleep in my bed again'; . (Short Stories for Students 263) 'Oates conclusion, so seemingly cold, is un redemptive for Connie, but the reader understands that her incapacity to choose wisely is the basis of her characterization. ' ; (White) Although the story has a very dark ending, it also sets in a since of reality. Joyce Carol Oates has defiantly gotten a pint across with this story. The fact that anywhere, anytime, danger can come around.

We all have sympathy for Connie in the fact that she cannot see what is going to happen to her, and Arnold Friend takes on the roll of a person we have all learned to hate. We can now see the greater meaning of 'it can happen to anyone'; . Sources Cited Creighton, Joanne V. Contemporary Literary Criticism Volume 19. Pgs.

348-51. Gale Research Company. Detroit, Michigan. 1981. Collins, Stephanie. Devilish Qualities Of Friend Apr. 24, 1998.

Apr. 19, 1999. Online Publishing. Oates, Joyce Carol. An Introduction To Literature Eleventh Edition.

Longman Publishing New York. 1997. Piwinski, David J. Explicator Volume 49, Number 3, Spring 1991. Heldreff Publishing. Washington, DC. 1991.

Raines, Linda F. Joyce Carol Oates Online Posting. 1996. Apr. 22, 1999. Short Stories for Students. Volume 1.

Pgs. 257-276. Gale Publishing, Detroit Michigan. 1997. White, Terry.

Allegoric Evil, Existential Choice In O'Connor, Oates, and Styron Pittsburgh State University 1993. April 23 1999. Expanded Abstracts.