Refutation of a Literary Review on Joyce Carol Oates Where are You Going Where have you been
Marie Mitchell Olesen Urbanski reflects on the parallels between a literary work and biblical suggestions in her essay "Existential Allegory: Joyce Carol Oates "Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?" (Studies in Short Fiction, 1978.) In her criticism, she compares the story of Connie's passive submission to Arnold Friend with the seduction of Eve by the Devil in the biblical myth. She uses Oates' descriptions of Arnold friend to prove that he is the devil and that Connie is an innocent victim. Urbanski does a convincing job of comparing the story of Connie and Arnold to the story of Eve and the Devil. She emphasizes religious metaphors that Oates used in her story, such as the local hang out representing a sacred building with music played religiously as at a church service. Urbanski slips however by stating "It is apparent that Friend represents the devil who tempts the chaste yet morally vacuous girl-victim." It may be argued that Arnold Friend resembles the devil in some ways, but Urbanski fails to give sufficient evidence for this claim, and more importantly, fails to acknowledge the many other possibilities for Arnold Friend's identity. Urbanski easily compares Friend to other literary figures.
By his actions and words I am able to add a supernatural force to his appearance and then fully decide that he isn't like any other person or thing Connie has met before. Urbanski cannot show any proof of the cause for Friend's feet looking odd because Oates never gives a clear reason for his shoes not fitting correctly. Urbanski does not attempt to give another option to the possibilities of Arnold's reality. "Existential Allegory: Joyce Carol Oates 'Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?"' Studies in Short Fiction. By those facts, I could infer that Arnold is a man with a bad toupee, using self tanner, and going through his midlife crisis. Simply by his actions and appearance though, I do not have enough evidence to prove that Arnold is in fact the devil. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1998 . To me, he can be seen as a devil just as much as he can be seen as a goblin, warlock or some other evil being. In her conclusion, Urbanski offers a grander approach to the symbolism of the characters. Joyce Carol Oates has said "Arnold Friend is a fantastic figure: he is Death, he is the 'elf-knight' of the ballads, he is the Imagination, he is a Dream, he is a Lover, a Demon, and all that. I am not able to give a definite idea of what Arnold friend may be; still I cannot agree with simply calling him the devil. Arnold's appearance can be seen as evil and scary, but appearances are so often misleading.
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Acceptance Essays
