Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Group

Question:

mabasta21
mabasta21
Student
College - Sophomore

If Arnold Friend is the devil, why does he care if Connie calls the police? Doesn't the devil have magical powers?

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Posted by mabasta21 on Monday September 7, 2009 at 10:48 PM and tagged with arnold friend, characters.

Answers:

  1. appletrees
    appletrees Teacher
    College - Junior

    eNotes Editor

    The idea that Arnold Friend is 'the devil' is primarily a symbolic element in the story, intended to add depth to this character and his impact on the protagonist (Connie). He's not literally the devil, but a man who embodies the qualities that are often associated with Satan (deceptive, seductive, charismatic, selfish, evil, lustful, etc.). Arnold Friend is a mortal man as portrayed in the story; the suggestion that he is the devil is one possible literary or critical interpretation of his character, useful for discussing and analyzing the story, but not intended as a literal factual rendering of the story.

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    Posted by appletrees on Friday September 11, 2009 at 10:47 AM