In-depth literary research of fiction works carries significant weight for academic study because they allow to critically review the work read and identify the author’s techniques and methods for greater persuasiveness. Similar considerations apply to the proposed short story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Oates. This literary essay’s central theme is the search and identification of plot evidence in favor of the fact that the antagonist Arnold Friend is the embodiment of real evil, according to the writer’s intention.
A summary of the plot of the reading is necessary for further critical analysis. The short story is about Connie’s life, the central protagonist, and the narcissistic girl, who one day, while all her relatives are away, accidentally meets Arnold near her home (Oates 3). This encounter was fatal for the young girl, and although the story’s ending remains open, the reader understands that there will be no happy ending here. More specifically, the seemingly innocuous Arnold morally forces Connie to leave her home and drive away with him, negotiating in a pressured, abusive tone.
After a thoughtful reading, there is no doubt that Arnold Friend is a collective image of evil. However, it is not only diabolical or fantastical evil, as one might have thought earlier, but more horrible, namely, that which man perpetrates. The story’s antagonist characterizes the maniacs and murderers who kidnapped and murdered young girls in post-war America (Ehrlich). Several pieces of literary evidence can support this conclusion. First of all, Arnold stalks Connie and follows her during her evening walk, and then arrives at her own home (Oates 2). In addition, Arnold knows exactly everything about the young girl’s life and even confidently states what her relatives are doing at the moment. It seems evident that such awareness is pathological and may characterize either an overly dependent suitor or the Devil in the flesh.
The man’s demonstrated patterns of behavior and appearance may also confirm that Arnold personifies the Devil’s image. Oates described the antagonist as a thin but physically robust man in black clothing with ashen skin and sunken eyes from which light oozes (Oates 3). This description in itself leads the reader to believe that the character is supernatural and aggressive. Simultaneously, the inexplicable control over Connie, her actions, and her condition may be justified either by severe psychological pressure on the girl or by some mystical power. The story’s particular emphasis was placed on Arnold’s inhuman and unnatural movements, which may signal a severe mental disorder in the man. Another bolder hypothesis is the Devil’s hooves’ presence instead of feet, which is the reason for such a clumsy gait.
Of additional research, interest is the philosophical analysis of Arnold’s figure in the short story. By modern standards, the antagonist is an example of an abuser and toxic person who suppresses another’s will (Richardson). In this sense, the Devil can personify all the most inhuman acts of men toward unprotected women. In addition, Arnold tells Connie that she no longer has a way back, which can be interpreted as growing up. The young girl can no longer be a child, and Arnold is her guide to the cruel and severe world of adults. Perhaps Oates was trying to put into the antagonist the adult world’s vices and the genuine consternation that children experience when growing up.
To summarize, Oates’s short story is a successful illustration of the literary techniques used for greater persuasiveness. Arnold, the main antagonist of the story, shows by his appearance, demeanor, and frightening awareness that he is not a good, decent man. On the contrary, summarizing the collected literary evidence, it is appropriate to assert that Arnold Friend is a Devil or maniacs’ literary image from the Oates perspective.
Works Cited
Ehrlich, Brenna. ” Why Were There So Many Serial Killers Between 1970 and 2000 — and Where Did They Go?”Rolling Stone, 2021.
Oates, J. C. ” Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” The Ontario Review, Inc., 1991, pp. 1-6.
Richardson, Jordan. “Character Traits Of Abusive People.”Everyday Health, 2017.