Literary Analysis

The short, fictional stories of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You been?” and “A Rose for Emily” depicts dark, and mysterious characteristics of Arnold Friend and Emily Grieson, whom both have a sense of drive that they must fulfill. It is as if they are stuck in the borderline of what is sanely dark or pure evil. Not only do their motives fulfill this sense of relief within themselves, but they stop at nothing to get what they want; Even if they have to resort to the last possible choice that they concur. It is as if they are stuck in the borderline of what is sanely dark or just pure evil.

Arnold Friend pulled up at her driveway, looking like the rest of the guys that attracts naïve, boy-crazy girls like Connie in his “tight faded jeans, stuffed into black boots, a belt that pulled his waist in, and showed how lean he was, and a white pull-over shirt that was a little soiled and showed the hard small muscles of his arms and shoulders,” (426, Oates). While looking quite dashing, he showered her with compliments that made her feel uneasy. He then developed an aggressive sort of approach with what he wanted from her, which rang bells inside her mind. Ultimately, through the taunting approach Arnold Friend trapped Connie frightening her with fear of getting her family involved if she didn’t go with him. In the end, he ended up seducing her with the idea that if she would go with him, he would make her happy more than anyone else ever could and make her feel like she belonged unlike her family did.

Emily Grieson was an outsider of the town, whom she manipulated so that they can keep away from her own personal life. Her father controlled her and drove away potential suitors from her. When he passed away, she developed the same control he had upon her and was in denial that he had died so that she wouldn’t have to give up his body. “Just as they were about to resort to law and force, she broke down, and they buried her father quickly,” (81, Faulkner). This made Emily what is diagnosed as necrophilia, which is a person who is attracted or has a deep and utter connection to dead bodies. When she gave up his body, her desire to control was transferred to someone else, Homer Barron. There was a slight issue, because Homer wasn’t looking to “settle down” and was accustomed to the single life. Ultimately, Emily’s drive to dictate over him led to poisoning him causing her to take his life and to fulfill her need for control over his dead body, literally.

The two dark and controlling characters differed in a dynamic and static selection. Arnold Friend was a static character due to the fact that from the beginning