, Research Paper
& # 65279 ; The Hidden Identity of Arnold Friend
The universe is full of people who portray themselves as person or something else. Peoples
normally hide their individuality to obtain things that they want. It is common to be fooled by person & # 8217 ; s
visual aspect. In Joyce Carol Oates & # 8217 ; s, & # 8220 ; Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been, & # 8221 ; Arnold
Friend is an illustration of person seeking to flim-flam another individual into believing that he is something
that he is non. In the narrative, a miss named Connie is confronted by a adult male who is seeking to carry
her to & # 8220 ; take a drive & # 8221 ; with him in his auto. She had seen this adult male the dark before gazing at her in the
thrust in so she was a small frightened that this adult male was now on her doorsill, non to advert she was
entirely. He began by friendly inquiring to come with him, but after she denied him he became
endangering to her and her household. She runs into the house filled with fright but so finds herself non
able to name for aid. She so walks back outside controlled by a unusual force and traveling with
Arnold Friend. Arnold Friend clearly symbolizes the Satan through his nonhuman physical traits,
his clairvoyant cognition of Connie, her household, and friends, and his dominant power over her
even though she knows he is evil.
First, Arnold Friend has many nonhuman features. The narrative describes Arnold
Friends hair by stating, & # 8220 ; he had shaggy, moth-eaten black hair that looked brainsick as a wig & # 8221 ; ( Oates 285 ) .
Joyce Wegs says in her essay about the narrative that his hair truly is a wig proposing that he could
be have oning it to cover up his horns ( 357 ) . In add-on, the narrative describes how careful he is when
seting his Sun spectacless on his caput ( 289 ) as if he is seeking non to uncover something. The narrative besides
says, & # 8220 ; He was standing in a unusual manner, tilting back against the auto as if he were equilibrating
himself & # 8221 ; ( 286 ) , which suggests that he has hooves non pess. Obviously it would be really difficult to
maintain balance and walk about in boots if they were filled with hooves. It seems that everything
physical about Arnold Friend seems to be bogus. Weg & # 8217 ; s provinces, & # 8220 ; even his ciliums appear to be
made-up, but with some tarlike stuff & # 8221 ; ( 357 ) . Arnold Friend has really eerie features
about him that lead the reader to believe that he is covering diabolic physical traits with a sham
human temperament.
Second, Arnold Friend knows an inordinate sum of information about Connie, her
friends and household. There is no human that can gaze off into the distance and cognize what person
else is making at that really instant. Arnold Friend does this really thing. When Connie tells him that
her pa will be home shortly he says, & # 8220 ; He ain & # 8217 ; t coming. He & # 8217 ; s at a barbecue. Aunt Tillie & # 8217 ; s. Right now
they & # 8217 ; re & # 8212 ; uh & # 8212 ; they & # 8217 ; re imbibing. Siting About. There & # 8217 ; s your sister in a bluish frock, huh? And
high heels & # 8221 ; ( 289 ) . He seems to hold a psychic consciousness of what people are making off from him
when he is non physically at that place. A few people that are capable of this are the Devil and God, and
God would non be endangering a 15-year-old miss. Besides, Arnold Friend seems to cognize a batch about
Connie. He says, & # 8220 ; I know who you were with last dark, and your best girlfriend & # 8217 ; s name is Betty
right & # 8221 ; ( 287 ) ? The reader could reason that Arnold Friend is a stalker, but being a stalker doesn & # 8217 ; T
explicate his telepathic cognition of what her household is making at Aunt Tillie & # 8217 ; s. A random alien
is non traveling to cognize person & # 8217 ; s personal information, and know what other people are making at
that blink of an eye, at different location, unless he or she is some kind of supernatural being.
Last, Arnold Friend has utmost power over Connie even though she realizes he is evil.
Wegs points out that he does get down uncovering to Connie his harmful program ( 357 ) yet she still leaves
with him. She knows he is endangering her, her household, and friends but she is controlled by an
unknown beginning that makes her travel anyhow. It is human inherent aptitude to protect yourself from danger,
yet she seems to fall into some kind of head trap that makes her make otherwise. The reader could
argue that Connie went with Arnold Friend to protect her household, but the narrative ne’er references
that Connie is traveling to keep her household & # 8217 ; s safety. Weg & # 8217 ; s suggests that he used black thaumaturgy
when he made an & # 8220 ; X & # 8221 ; in the air placing his victim ( 358 ) . Arnold Friend has a cryptic
control over Connie that makes the reader believe that she is possessed by him. The narrative says,
& # 8220 ; She felt her thumping bosom. Her manus seemed to envelop it. She thought for the first clip in her
life that it was nil that was hers, that belonged to her, but merely a buffeting, populating thing inside
this organic structure that wasn & # 8217 ; t truly hers either & # 8221 ; ( 293 ) . This proves that there is something taking over her
organic structure doing her travel outside to face this demonic figure. Devils are known for possessing
people, and it seems as though Arnold Friend did capture Connie. There is no other logical ground
to set yourself in danger unless your head has been altered by an outside force, in this instance,
Satan.
In decision, Arnold Friend clearly represents Satan because of his nonhuman physical
features, his psychic consciousness of Connie, her household and friends, and his strong power over
her even though she knows she is in danger. Arnold Friend & # 8217 ; s unreal physical traits and his
nonhuman characteristics lead the reader to believe that he is seeking to conceal his true individuality. He knows
an abundant sum of information about Connie, and he tells Connie what her household is making at
that same minute which suggests he has nonhuman psychic abilities. Besides, he has an unexplained
domination over Connie which suggests he has the power of ownership. All of these things are
common features of the Devil. Weg & # 8217 ; s says, & # 8220 ; Arnold is far more than a monstrous portrayal of
a psychopathologic slayer masquerading as a adolescent ; he besides has all the traditional sinister traits of
that arch-deceiver and beginning of grotesque panic, the Satan & # 8221 ; ( 357 ) . Connie failed to acknowledge that
expressions are lead oning. Arnold Friend looked & # 8220 ; cool & # 8221 ; therefore she trusted him at foremost, and
got herself into a state of affairs that she could non get away. Arnold Friend is a premier illustration of the
stating, & # 8220 ; Don & # 8217 ; t judge a book by its color. & # 8221 ;
Bibliography
This is on the essay & # 8220 ; Where Are You Traveling Where Have You Been & # 8221 ; by Joyce Carol Oates. It is discoursing Arnold Friend & # 8217 ; s concealed idenity as being the Satan
