The Devil In Disguise Essay, Research Paper

The Devil & # 8217 ; s Advocate

Is Arnold Friend the Devil in camouflage in Joyce Carol Oates & # 8217 ; short narrative & # 8220 ; Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? & # 8221 ; If one were to look at the facts environing the existent event this narrative was based on, any premise that & # 8220 ; Friend & # 8221 ; was anything but a adult male would be thrown out due to logic. However, if one were to look at the narrative entirely, he could profess that Friend is so the Devil or at least the Devil & # 8217 ; s angel.

First, there is the physical description of Arnold Friend. His & # 8220 ; shaggy, moth-eaten black hair that looked brainsick as a wig, & # 8221 ; ( 591 ) his olfactory organ, & # 8220 ; long and hawk-like, & # 8221 ; ( 592 ) and his eyes that & # 8220 ; were like french friess of broken glass & # 8221 ; ( 592 ) all suggest that he is evil in some manner. & # 8220 ; His whole face was a mask, [ Connie ] thought wildly, tanned down onto his pharynx but so running out as if he had plastered makeup on his face but had forgotten about his pharynx & # 8221 ; ( 596 ) . This indicates that Friend is non of human race, and he is utilizing the mask to cover his face and screen his true individuality from Connie. Besides, Arnold & # 8217 ; s boots & # 8220 ; must hold been stuffed with something so that he would look taller & # 8221 ; ( 596-7 ) . The fact that Friend is short could intend he is an hob or dwarf-like animal, or it could simply intend that he is seeking to be something he decidedly is non.

Besides physical features, the diabolic nature of Friend is depicted through his elusive ability to pull strings Connie. When they foremost run into, Connie is discerning of Arnold. Through use, appeal, and perchance a enchantment, Arnold is adept in act uponing Connie, finally ensuing in her death. & # 8220 ; & # 8216 ; Now acquire up, honey. Get up all by yourself. & # 8217 ; She stood & # 8221 ; ( 599 ) . & # 8220 ; The kitc

biddy looked like a topographic point she had ne’er seen before” ( 596 ) . “Her eyes darted everyplace in the kitchen. She could non retrieve what it was, this room” ( 597 ) . Common places no longer hold any acquaintance to her.

Last, Oates utilizations sarcasm and symbolism to convey the possibility that Arnold Friend is the Devil. The chief subdivision of the narrative ironically takes topographic point on Sunday. Sunday is the Holy twenty-four hours and Friend, in all chance, feels that by degrading God, he is turn outing himself more powerful. Oates uses his name, Friend, as symbolic sarcasm. Arnold is necessarily evil, and Oates uses his name to stand for him as a Devil & # 8217 ; s Advocate playing both sides. & # 8220 ; After his manus fell back to his side the Ten was still in the air, about seeable & # 8221 ; ( 593 ) . The Ten is a mark of immorality, and Friend tells Connie that it is his mark. This could besides connote that Friend was seting a & # 8220 ; spell & # 8221 ; on Connie to do her obey and succumb to his every demand. The Numberss ( 33, 19, 17 ) printed on the side of his auto, when added up as individual figures ( i.e. 33 being 3 and 3 ) equal 24. Ten is the twenty-fourth missive of the alphabet.

Although it is non clear in the narrative whether Arnold Friend is the Devil, there is much to back up the thought that he is. Through Friend & # 8217 ; s use and physical facets, and through sarcasm and symbols, one could presume that the writer intended this to be true. In the event this narrative was based on, & # 8220 ; Friend & # 8221 ; most probably was non the Devil. However, grounds in the fictional work & # 8220 ; Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? & # 8221 ; reveals that he is.

Work Cited

Oates, Joyce Carol. & # 8220 ; Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? & # 8221 ; An Introduction to Fiction. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 7th erectile dysfunction. New York: Longman, 1999. 587-599.