friend or fiend
The persona of a psychopath appears to be much like any human. In many cases, one would not be able to "pick them out of a crowd". Their minds, however, differ greatly from most. A psychopath is extremely smart and methodical in thinking and most often is very meticulous in the way in which he/she acts. While many people are not thinking beyond the norm, a psychopath thinks about every breath, step, and word a person lets out into the open. In the short story "Where are you going, Where have you been?" by Joyce Carol Oates, the depiction of a psychopath is quite apparent. His mannerism, thoughts and tactic all create the perfect portrayal of a truly deranged character. Arnold Friend follows Connie from the beginning of the story. When Connie finally notices his presence, "he [stares] at her and then his lips widened...and there he was still watching her," (Oates 589), revealing his true desires and aspirations. Arnold not only wants to kill Connie, but to see and understand every breath she takes. Although unaware of his closeness, it becomes quite apparent that Arnold Friend is stalking Connie when he states, "I know my Connie" (Oates 592).
Arnold Friend's mannerisms augment his deranged intellect. When confronting Connie, his odd behavior repeatedly reveals his abnormal feelings and emotions. Speaking to Connie in a fast bright monotone (Oates 591), he clashes excitement and boredom, an unusual mixture of emotions. The way in which Arnold acts in front of Connie is far from normal. As he begins to get exasperated with Connie's refusal to go for a ride, Arnold begins to "[laugh] as if she had said something funny. He slapped his thighs. He was standing in a strange way" (Oates 592), revealing his true frustration, not only with Connie, but with himself as well. With fear and revelation in her eyes, "Connie let the screen door shut...He stood there so stiffly relaxed, pretending to be relaxed," (Oates 593), as he realized his plan was not going as smoothly as expected. Arnold's apprehension reveals his undeniable derangement. The way in which Arnold acts when confronted with another human is far from normal, divulging his truly disturbed mentality. This is from the story "Where are you going, Where have you
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Approximate Word count = 845
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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