At one point or another early in life, when young person is taken for granted, one regard into the mirror and wondered what the passage from adolescence to adulthood would show. In Carol Joyce Oates Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? ” that really inquiry is answered for 15 twelvemonth old Connie, the supporter, in a dark fairy tale laced with Greek Mythology and symbolism she could non hold imagined in her worst incubus. Oates utilizes the subjects and characters of Greek Mythology and the confusion of a immature miss fighting with her individuality to stand for the challenges adolescence face as they strive to happen their true egos. Introduced as Arnold Friend, the reader gets insight to the true individuality of Connie ‘s chaser who is so evil personified as a lecher. Satyr are best known as Grecian and Roman demi-god half adult male half caprine animal, with horns, a tail, known for rolling the forest, their grim chase of immature virgins, ravishing nymphs, and a love for music ( Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia web nexus ) . Oates based the word picture of Friend on an existent consecutive slayer named Charles Howard Schmid ( Quirk 413 ) . Though there are many similarities between Schmid and Arnold Friend, none can explicate Friends supernatural powers over Connie, and his ability to cognize information about Connie and her household. Using misrepresentation and the familiar even his name, Arnold Friend, lends itself to seting Connie at easiness. However, all that is familiar shortly gives penetration to the true individuality of Arnold Friend as Oates leaves a trail of staff of life crumbs for the reader to follow to the startling decision.
Several times throughout the tale Arnold Friend reveals himself as a lecher without genuinely stating the words. In order to convert his quarry to go forth with him on what he calls “ a day of the month ” Friend must show himself as familiar to Connie, like all the other male childs, and person that can be trusted. His camouflage, which is that of a teenage male child, plays on Connie ‘s senses that Arnold, is merely another child out to pick her up and demo her a good clip. Giving merely a little intimation of his lineage, Friend reveals himself to the reader merely one measure in front of Connie. Like a teaser for a chilling film, you want to state Connie non to travel into preverbal “ dark room ” where she heard a bump in the dark, but her wonder gets the best of her. Friends ‘ hair curly and black, which appears to be on his caput like a wig, could be seen as a manner of covering his pointed ears and little horns, physical traits normally associated with the lecher. His boots fit ill, dismissed at first by Connie as a fast one to do himself look taller, it becomes obvious Arnold Friend most likely is concealing something with his boots, “ [ O ] Ne of his boots was at a unusual angle, as if his pes was n’t in it. It pointed out to the left, set at the mortise joint ” ( Oates 389 ) . Is this a manner for Friend to conceal his half caprine animal legs with hooves? By utilizing the expression and feel of a teenage male child in leather boots, Friend is allowing Connie cognize he is merely a normal male child, who wears boots, has long dark hair, and says all the right things at all the right times. This gives penetration to the ability of a lecher to gull its quarry into believing it is something it is non. Not far from normal teenage boys out to run into a miss and entice them into state of affairss they would prefer to avoid.
If concealing his physical traits were the lone indexs of Friend being a lecher, with sick purposes toward Connie, the reader could easy disregard Oatess ‘ word picture of Friend as a lecher. However, Friend knows things merely a animal with supernatural powers would cognize every bit would a lecher, and uses his powers to entice Connie in with eldritch ability. Friend makes several mentions to Connie ‘s Family, knows they are gone to a barbecue, that her sister is have oning high heels, what they are eating and when they will return. Friend calls Connie by her name, even though she has ne’er met him before he arrives at her private road. These are all traits of a demi-god and surely non traits of a normal mundane male child. As Friend continues to seek and pull strings Connie to go forth the safety, albeit perceived safety, of her place as he continues to inquire and reply inquiries that merely a demi-god could cognize. At one point in the narrative Arnold calls Connie by her name surprising to her since she has ne’er met Arnold Friend:
“ I ne’er said my name was Connie, ” she said. But I [ Friend ] know what it is. I know your name and all about you, tonss of things, ” Arnold Friend said. He had non moved yet but stood still tilting back against the side of his bus. “ I took a particular involvement in you, such a pretty miss, and found out all about you-like I know your parents and sister are gone somewheres and I know where and how long they ‘re traveling to be gone, and I know who you were with last dark, and your best miss friend ‘s name is Betty. Right? ( Oates 385 ) .
It is at this point Arnold reveals to Connie that his powers are far making and he can see and cognize things that a normal mundane individual could n’t possible cognize. On the other manus, if Friend is thought of and known to be a lecher, holding powers would non be a surprise to Connie or the reader. As a demi-god, holding powers to see into the past, present and future would come easy to Friend and surely support in his efforts to convert the immature miss he knows her better than she thinks.
