Where are You Going, Where have You Been?
LitCrits-When the library is closed on weekends
by Joyce Carol Oates
"Where are you going? Where have you been?" is a short story published by Joyce Carol Oates regarding the deception and eventual abduction of a young girl, Connie, by a suspicious man named Arnold Friend....
[edit] Symbols Analysis
Joyce Carol Oates' short story "Where are you going? Where have you been?" 'runneth over' with Biblical allusion and symbolism. The symbols of Arnold Friend, his disguise, and the music that runs through the story contribute to an overall feeling of devilishness, deception, and unease.
The depiction of Arnold Friend runs parallel to the common conception of the Devil. Many aspects of his outward appearance, as well as his behavior, contribute to this by portraying him in a sinister manner. His nose is "long and hawklike" and he has a "slippery smile." His "greasy" boots don't fit him right, "as if his feet [don't] go all the way down." The stereotypical Beelzebub is often seen with hooves. When he draws 'his sign' – the sinister letter X – in the air, it "stays there, almost still visible," as if he supernaturally burnt it into the air. The numbers appearing on Arnold's car, 33, 19, and 17, exclude the number 18. The 18th letter of the alphabet is "r", and removing that letter from his name presents "an old fiend". Arnold knows about Connie's family, where they are at that moment, and what radio station she is listening to. This can be explained logically by the fact that that he is a stalker. As an allusion, the Devil is omniscient. Arnold also promises not to enter Connie's house unless she picks up the phone. This exemplifies the classic adage, "The Devil won't come into your home until you invite him in." Finally, the fact that Arnold is preying on someone nearly twenty years his junior (physically inferior and easily overpowered) and the methods he uses to finally convince her to come with him (threatening her family and her home) portray him as a genuinely despicable character, worthy of the epithet "Devil," if not its literal interpretation.
Arnold Friend pulls into Connie's driveway with his shiny, golden car, taking both her and the reader by surprise. The color gold has connotations of vanity and greed – two deadly sins. Writing, a "secret code," appears on Arnold's car: the numbers 33, 19, and 17. They refer to a verse of the Bible, verse 19:17 of the 33rd book, Judges. Oates reinforces the Biblical comparison of Arnold as the Devil by referring to this verse: "When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, 'Where are you going? Where did you come from?'" The phrase on his car, "Done by a crazy woman driver," is something that would make a child laugh. The other phrase painted on Arnold's car, "Man the flying saucers," is referred to as being 'used by kids the year before (Also, the phrase can be decoded to spell out 'HESATANLUCIFER' meaning another devil reference).' Arnold's car is an important part of his disguise: he tries to appeal to the younger generation, as if he makes a habit of preying on them. But, he falls short, and his disguise appears awkward before it finally breaks down. The reader feels more tension as he progresses through the story and comes upon these pieces of Arnold's Devilish – albeit oftentimes poorly constructed – disguise.
Arnold Friend's façade gives the reader the feeling that something is wrong, as if Oates were trying to persuade Connie away from her impending doom. When Arnold first pulls into Connie's driveway, the reader is alarmed. Connie notices that he is actually much older than he appears and the reader knows that something is definitely wrong. Arnold leans against his car "in a strange way... pretending to be relaxed." He acts relaxed, yet is clearly alert and in Connie's driveway for a purpose. He wears sunglasses to hide his pale eye sockets and acts "as if he were wearing a wig." He tries to hide his purpose with a poorly constructed façade. Arnold Friend's awkward composure and disguise tip the reader off that he is not to be trusted and that something foul is afoot. All these hints are dropped, but in Connie's head they "[do] not come together," and the reader can tell she will soon run into trouble. Arnold's disguise finally falls apart when he becomes aggravated and starts spouting nonsensical figures of speech. He composes himself, but the reader doesn't trust him after this revealing incident. Arnold Friend is also an anagram "reckless old man."
The final theme that runs throughout the story is music, particularly the music Connie listens to. It appears she is always "hearing music in her head." The music is "always in the background" and "something to depend upon" for her and her friends. Fast music is often associated with adolescents, irresponsible and reckless with their lives. Connie, in the beginning of the story, is portrayed thusly: not cleaning her room, mentally disrespecting her mother (breaking a Commandment), dressing suggestively to attract men, etc. "Fast cars, fast music and fast women," as the platitude says. Connie is the fast woman: going out on the weekends to fool around with men for three hours and then coming back home as if nothing has happened. When she meets a boy at the beginning of the story, she feels excited for seemingly no reason: "[H]er face [gleams] with a joy that had nothing to do with [the boy] or even [the restaurant]; it might have been the music." The music symbolizes her recklessness that eventually leads to her downfall, as it accompanies her and motivates her. When Connie leaves the restaurant, the author notes that she "[can't] hear the music at [that] distance." The music and Connie's careless, dangerous behavior are inseparable. She turns on the radio near the middle of the story, after her family has left the house. The room is filled with "hard, fast, shrieking songs she [sings] along with" and her heart begins beating quickly. Arnold suddenly pulls in to the driveway, his radio tuned to the same radio station. The music behind Arnold is "perpetual" and symbolizes the danger that Connie has brought upon herself. The reader is put off by Connie's wanton and careless romp at the beginning of the story and, subconsciously, the reintroduction of fast music makes him uneasy again.
Oates uses a great number of symbols in her short story "Where are you going? Where have you been? to create an aura of unease and Devilishness. Her principal symbols are Arnold Friend, his disguise, and the music Connie listens to. Oates' use of symbolism and Biblical allusions to Satan force the reader to raise an eyebrow to the character of Arnold Friend and the doomed future of Connie.
