Review Of The Story 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been'

You’ve Got a Friend in Me
The story “Where are you going, where have you been” written by Joyce Carol Oates, chronicles the story of a young girl named Connie faced with the ultimate choice of saving her life or her family. Oates uses the deal with the devil genre short story to show the struggle Connie dealt with and how she reacted to the choice of life or death. In Oates story, Arnold Friend is the literal devil because of his unruly, translucent appearance, his overwhelming knowledge of Connie’s friends and family, and how he struggles to walk and stand properly.
To understand the story, it is a good idea to fully understand the basic components of any deal with the devil story. Obviously, there has to be a character that is either the devil himself or has characteristics of a devil. Then, there is a character that is desperate and has the understanding that the devil has something they need. The devil always requires something of the pawn because everything comes with a cost. The pawn always has a choice to accept the …show more content…
Friend’s appearance dictates his malevolency because his hair looks like a wig, has skin that is translucent, and he wears sunglasses. Arnold Friend is the literal devil because he knows everything you could imagine about Connie and her family and friends. Arnold Friend is the literal devil because he stuffs his boots so that he looks taller, even though it makes him walk like a drunk sailor. This short story gives the reader the ultimate freedom to assess each character as they like. Some readers may not even make the connection with Arnold and the devil but it is as clear as ever, based on the quoted texts, that Arnold Friend is indeed the devil himself. This short story only shows Arnold in a negative and degrading way for a reason. Oates gave the reader enough evidence to form a very strong case for the fact that Arnold Friend is the