The Role of the Antagonists in the Short Stories Where...

Like all great stories throughout time, a compelling villain is the key to making a story worthwhile. In short stories like, â€Å"Where have you been, where are you going,† and, â€Å"Love in LA,† a though provoking antagonist was used by the authors to really give the stories some depth. The antagonist of, â€Å"Where have you been†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Arnold Friend takes on the persona of temptation to the protagonist Connie and really emphasizes the theme of be careful what you wish for. Connie was a young girl who repeatedly met up with older more mature boys; but one day Arnold Friend arrives at her house and coerces her to leave with him. The story abruptly stops there leaving the reader hoping for more. The antagonist of, â€Å"Love in LA†, Jake, an unemployed dreamer,†¦show more content†¦Arnold could be the Devil, while Jake could be the snake, and Arnold resorted to premeditated stalking to win over Connie while Jake just unexpectedly met Marianna, and finally Arnold tried to coerce Connie to come with him by promising her love and cars, etc.. and Jake just flat out lied to win over Marianna. When first reading the book, â€Å"Love in LA†, the name Jake seemed reminiscent of snake, and snake could loosely be connected to the story of Adam and Eve, or temptation. Now many could also argue that in,†Where have you been†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , the character Arnold Friend could in fact be the devil himself. While describing Arnold Friend, the author said, â€Å" One of his boots was at a strange angle. It pointed out at the left, bent at the ankle.† (pg 90) In most depictions of the devil, the character usually has hooves, so instead of feet stuffed oddly into his boots, could they in fact be the hooves of the devil? Even though Jake wasn’t portrayed as the devil in, â€Å"Love in LA,† he could still be a biblical character. â€Å" He made up a last name and address and wrote down the name of an insurance company an old girlfriend once belonged to.†(63) Like the biblical snake in the Garden of Eden, Jake showcases his sly, untrustworthy side. Both of the characters take on the personas of temptation and mischief to finally get what they want in the end of their stories. In addition to having an underlying biblical meaning, both storiesShow MoreRelatedThe White Man s Burden By Rudyard Kipling10612 Words   |  43 Pages‘Since freedom is our natural state, we are not only in possession of it but have the urge to defend it’ Étienne De La Boà ©tie Take up the White Man s burden– Ye dare not stoop to less– Nor call too loudRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagesmymanagementlab is an online assessment and preparation solution for courses in Principles of Management, Human Resources, Strategy, and Organizational Behavior that helps you actively study and prepare material for class. Chapter-by-chapter activities, including built-in pretests and posttests, focus on what you need to learn and to review in order to succeed. Visit www.mymanagementlab.com to learn more. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT SKILLS EIGHTH EDITION David A. Whetten BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY Read MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesrequest to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290. Many of the designations by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and the publisher was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial caps or all caps. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Robbins, Stephen P. Organizational