Joyce Carol Oates
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In Joyce Carol Oates story, “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?” there are two main characters in the story one of them is Connie. She was a naпve fifteen year old teenage girl, and the other character is a psychopath named Arnold Friend. Connie is a typical teenager she hangs out with her friends going to the mall and movies, just basically out having fun without a care in the world.
Arnold is a psychopath who appears to be like any human. In many cases, one would not be able to pick them out of a crowd. Their minds are completely different from most other people. They are extremely smart and very methodical in their thinking and in the way that they act. While most people barely think beyond the normal, a psychopath will think about every step, breath, and even every word anybody would say in the open.
Joyce Carol Oates portrays Arnold Friend as a psychopath in his mannerisms, thoughts, and tactics which creates a truly deranged character. Arnold Friend follows Connie from the very beginning of the story. When Connie finally notices his presence, “He stares at her and then his lips widened into a grin. Connie slit her eyes at him and turned away, but she couldnt help glancing back and there he was still watching her,” (320) reveling his true desires. Arnold wanted to know her every breath and also to kill her. It becomes quite apparent that Arnold is stalking Connie when he says “I know my Connie” (323). When he stares at her, she is unaware of his closeness.
In Arnolds mind, Connie is like a puzzle that he must figure out. He states while bringing fear to Connies eyes “I know your name and all about you, lots of things” (323), fully proving his intensions. Recalling seeing her at the drive-in the night before, he shook a finger at her and laughed “Gonna get you, baby” (320), showing his true obsession with Connie.
Although Arnold pursues Connie secretly, there are many other elements to his mind that should be considered. His mannerisms explain his deranged intelligence. When he confronts Connie, his odd behavior repeatedly reveals his abnormal feelings towards her. “Speaking to Connie in a fast bright monotone (321), he mixes excitement and boredom which is an unusual mixture of emotions. The way he acts in front of her is a long way from what we call normal. As he begins to get upset with Connies refusal to go for a ride, Arnold begins to “laugh as if she had said something funny. He slapped his thighs. He was standing in a strange way and leaning back against the car as if he were balancing himself” (322), revealing his frustrations with Connie and to himself also.
With fear in her eyes, “Connie let the screen door close and stood perfectly still inside it” (324). When he realized his plan was not going as smoothly as he thought, his apprehension started to reveal his derangement. In the way Arnold acts when he confronts another human being is for from what is considered normal, showing his disturbed mind.
Although Arnold appears to seem normal at first glance, his mind is forming another plan to get Connie into the car. As she continues to refuse his offers to go for a ride, he begins to act more hostile and