In the story “Where are you going? Where have you been?”, by Joyce Carol Oates, the use of symbolism of Connie's clothes, her fascination with her beauty, Arnold Friend's car and Arnold Friend himself help to understand the theme of evil and manipulation of the story, peppered with underlying evil tones, sees Oates writing about fifteen-year-old Connie, the protagonist of the story, a cute girl who is a little too caught up in her own attractiveness, which eventually gets her into trouble with a man. named Friend Arnold. The story is full of symbolism, from the way Connie dresses to the shoes on Arnold Friend's feet. the reader can grasp some symbols very easily, while others require deeper reflection. The subtle hints of symbolism throughout the story create a compelling tale that draws the reader in. Connie ultimately succumbs to Arnold Friend at the end of the story, it then becomes obvious that she represents the devil and the symbolism of her clothes and Arnold's car all come together to create a better understanding of the story. Connie's clothes and infatuation with her own beauty symbolize her lack of maturity or knowledge of her true self, which ultimately allows her to be manipulated by Arnold Friend. Connie was in love with her own beauty; at the beginning of the story Oates states that Connie “knew she was pretty and that was all” (225). This attraction to herself along with constantly looking in the mirror and thinking that her mother was just nagging her all the time because her good looks were long gone (225) shows a sign of immaturity because she believes that everything revolves around the fact whether or not someone...... middle of paper......; he has evil intentions and wickedness behind every aspect of his being. Oates' use of the way Arnold looks and acts so much like the devil, his use of the words on the car meaning something foreign, and his subtle symbolism with Connie's clothing make the story the theme of evil and manipulation stands out much more. Connie's clothes symbolizing her lack of knowledge of her true self allow Arnold Friend to overpower her in the end. The words and letters on Arnold's car symbolize the warnings Connie should have noticed. Since Arnold symbolizes the devil, the evil within him gives him the advantage to manipulate Connie into leaving her home, despite everything inside Connie screaming at her not to go. The symbolisms of these objects or people are all deeply rooted in the theme of this story: “Where are you going? Where have you been?”.