Arnold Friend in “where Are You Going, Where Hare You Been?”

There are many notorious characters in literature, all with their own menacing qualities and depraved actions. None, however, have struck such a devastatingly creepy chord as Arnold Friend of Joyce Carol Oates “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Seducer of young girls and embodiment of Lucifer, Arnold Friend is anything but a friend. Arnold Friend is presented through both actions and appearances, and these combine to diminish his likeability, while adding to his devilish persona. Although Arnold Friend’s traits are never stated outright, they are presented through his speech and interaction with other characters, which ultimately creates a more impacting effect and lasting impression.

Arnold Friend is the devil in human form. However, as his physical description progresses, he becomes more unreal and more caricature-like with every trait. Everything Connie, the protagonist and object of Arnold Friend’s desire, sees is like something else she knows, familiar and recognizable. These traits, however, do not create a homologous character; instead it is an awkward collection of incongruities. If a trait does not appear borrowed, it appears fake or imitating. His hair is “shaggy [and] shabby . . . that looked crazy as a wig,” and Connie’s assertion is strengthened when he put his sunglasses on his head “as if he were indeed wearing a wig.” Already Arnold Friend seems assembled, completely divergent from human characteristics. Connie describes the way he is dressed, as well as his body type, as similar to every other boy out there. With every physical detail, Arnold Friend seems more and more like the devil taking on the appearance of a typical teenage boy in order to prevent scaring young girls away. “His face was a familiar face,” and “[h]is whole face was a mask . . . tanned down to his throat but then running out as if he had plastered make-up on his face and had forgotten about his throat,” add to the notion that Arnold Fiend was put together, not born, and gives Connie another reason to distrust him. Even his nose is menacing, appearing ready to “gobble” Connie up. His appearance is abundant with strengths, characterizing him without words as a powerful force. He is muscular and tanned, appealing to Connie, but there are also flaws that appear as weaknesses, and yet do not take away from his ominous presence. He is no taller than Connie, and he has trouble standing. Both of these characteristics stem from one easily attainable assertion: That Arnold Friend is the devil. A common depiction of Satan is that of him having short legs with cleft hooves, and that appears to be Arnold Friend’s problem. He rarely moves; he is always leaning on something so as to hold him up or keep his balance. When he does move he is described as wobbling or unstable. This abnormality adds to his mysteriousness and questionability. Besides his physical appearance, Arnold Friend is developed and presented through actions and words also.

Arnold Friend does not ever seem like a believable character that one would meet in the real world, even for a second. Although he seems confident a majority of the time, his slip ups in demeanor and actions that do not appeal to normal people assure the reader that his identity is assumed, and that he is actually the devil. His actions are meant to coax Connie but instead create an uneasy tension and fail to tempt her outside. First, he wags his finger at her two different times, which is no more scolding than it is intimidating in the sense that it is creepy like no other. Arnold Friend has a hostility that is so wrapped up in sweet-talk and pleas that it is almost never evident. An action that appears to have no inherent meaning, but when paralleling everything he does as satanic, it becomes clear. When Arnold Friend asks, “Didn’t you see me put my sign in the air when you walked by?” and draws an X in the air, it is evident Connie has signed a deal with the devil.

But his speech is more typical of a fiend