Poetry Discussion

Brooke Miller

Shannon Lawson

English 115-01

October 15, 2006

BEWARE of A. Fiend, He’s the Devil!

In Joyce Weigs’ critical interpretation of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” she stated “Arnold is clearly a symbolic Satan” and while interpreting the story, the reader can see that Joyce Carol Oates wanted to portray Arnold Friend as just that (166). His name alone justifies the assumption that the abbreviations A. Friend and A. Fiend were chosen for a compelling and specific reason. Unique characteristics such as personality, appearance and super-natural abilities that both Arnold Friend and Satan have in common support Joyce Weigs’ critical interpretation for Arnold Friend being a symbolic Satan. Throughout the story, Joyce Carol Oates iterates the critic, Joyce Weigs’, opinion on the matter.

In the story when Connie had one of her first encounters with Arnold Friend, the narrator stated “The driver’s glasses were metallic and mirrored everything in miniature” (156). That description goes hand in hand with the well-known fact the Devil pits one side of someone’s personality to another which would be just like looking into a mirror. Another interpretation could be that in comparison to the presence of the Devil, everyone and everything would appear miniature, or less important. There was also an instance in the story where Arnold said to Connie, “I wanta introduce myself. I’m Arnold Friend and that’s my real name and I’m going to be your friend honey” (156). It seemed if he was not trying to be devilish, why would he be so persistent in making a young girl believe that he was not lying in his introduction of himself? Along with having Connie believe he was really Arnold Friend, he was hoping she would fall for his full facade. The narrator commented that “Connie liked how he was dressed, which was the way they all dressed…” (157). Arnold was trying to convince Connie that he was her own age by dressing with the trends of her age group. Arnold’s facade was very well thought out which the reader can distinctly examine in all the not-so-common links between a forty something year old man and a fifteen year old girl. For instance, when Arnold and Ellie first showed up at Connie’s house and they were coincidently listening to the same radio show, which was geared toward the teenager’s anyways is just one example.

Joyce Carol Oates provided the reader with an excellent description of Arnold’s facial features, in particular his nose when she wrote “…and the nose long and hawk-like, sniffing as if she were a treat he was going to gobble up and it was all a joke” (157). Back tracking to Arnold portraying a symbolic Satan, the supposed appearance of the Devil includes, but is not limited to, a very long, pointy and dominating nose. While Connie began to piece together Arnold’s real identity, “He took off his glasses and she saw how pale the skin around his eyes was, like holes that were not in shadow but instead in light” (157). The simile symbolizes the fact that the eyes are the window to a person’s soul and evidently Arnold does not have a soul since he is playing the symbolic role of Satan. As she realized neither Arnold nor Ellie were her age, “Connie felt a wave of dizziness rise in her at this sight and she stared at him as if waiting for something to change the shock of the moment, make it all right again” (159). At that moment in the story, it seemed that Arnold had a slight mental hold or control over Connie’s gaze. The Devil is known for being able to control people and their actions. Another aspect of Arnold’s appearance would be his voice. At one point, Connie thought to herself, “He had the voice of the