Joyce Carol Oates" "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" deals with Connie, a fifteen year old girl, whose confrontation with a mysterious stranger named Arnold Friend. Many experts agree that Oates" story is based on a real life mass murderer who killed teens in Arizona in the 1960's. Oates" incorporates this into her story so she can construct the evil of Arnold Friend in an almost believable setting. Arnold Friend, however, is not a real life character. In Joyce Carol Oates "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" there is a clear interpretation of evil in Arnold Friend and how he as a demon, tried to pull Connie into the dark world of sex and emotion. .
There are many clues in the story that hint that Arnold Friend is not a friend at all, but is in fact a demon who has come to take Connie away. When Arnold Friend is first mentioned in the story, it is obvious that Connie has an uneasy feeling about him and feels violated by his presence. When Connie first sees Arnold Friend she notices he has black shaggy hair and is in a convertible. "He stared at her and then his lips widened into a grin. Connie slit her eyes at him and turned away" (Oates 150). He then says "Gonna get you, baby" (Oates 150). It becomes clear that Connie is obviously bothered by Arnold Friend by the way she looks away from him. Arnold Friend is saying he was going to get her perhaps is foreshadowing the fate of Connie. .
When Arnold Friend shows up at Connie's house, it becomes obvious that Arnold Friend is in fact not a friend at all. Not only does he show up without Connie knowing, but also, the fact the first thing that he says is "You wanna come for a ride?" (Oates 152). Arnold seems to be pressuring Connie from the start and is obviously not there to just to take her for a ride. The ride that Arnold speaks about could possibly have a sexual connotation that Connie does not pick up on because she is so young and blind to the world of sexual pleasures that Arnold lives in.
