Essential Question and "Where are you going, Where have you been?"

Hey gang,

As I was reading Oates' "Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?" I was especially mindful of our Essential Question (=How does the use of archetypes in literature reflect or challenge cultural views?). I feel like the character Arnold Friend offers unique insight into this inquiry question.

Arnold is himself a caricature of an archetype - he dresses up to look like a greaser kid, but in fact he "wasn't a kid, he was much older - thirty, maybe more" (233). This description of the questionable character highlights the appeal of the youthful rebel, the Danny Zuko character from Grease. But it does not quite challenge the archetype because Arnold does not successfully embody it. He is older, trying to seem young and cool. Having made it through high school myself, I feel pretty safe in saying that - no matter the era - playing cool is no substitute for being cool. In Arnold's case, it comes off as creepy. (Not to mention he's got his less-than-successful wingman, Ellie, but that's a whole other tangent.) To me, Arnold (styled "A. Friend") is a character that actually reflects cultural archetypes in his own striving to embody one. He needs to step into a known sort of character to act as a lure when he preys on Connie. He reinforces the very importance of the archetype by attempting to be it.

Connie's character serves as another sort of archetype for me. Though it is clunky to put into words, she is the she-knows-she's-pretty pretty girl. Though this may not be in the canon of archetypes, for anyone who's ever read or seen teen-centered fiction (and even non-fiction), it may as well be. With this preoccupation with attractiveness comes a certain corruptible naivete - Connie "knew she was pretty and that was everything,"... until it wasn't (226). When Connie is approached by Arnold, her inclination is to welcome his advances, as though he is yet another of her admirers, and so when Connie comprehends the situation, "she [is] so sick with fear that she [can] do nothing" (237). Connie's character may, in fact, challenge archetypes, as Oates' story may emphasize the importance of alertness... but I'm not so sure.