In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been, what character does Ellie represent?

Question

The question contains minor spoilers for Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been, by Joyce Carol Oates.

In this short story, a teenage girl is menaced by two mysterious characters who seem to know a great deal more about her than they should. You can read the story online.

The precise nature of these two characters is never revealed, but there are pretty significant clues as to who the more talkative of the two, Arnold Friend, is. The other is named only as "Ellie" and says little, other than to back up Arnold's more persuasive style with the threat of physical violence. Ellie spends much of his time listening to pop music on a transistor radio.

Ellie's function in the narrative is fairly clear to me, but I'm puzzled as to the nature of the character. If we imagine Arnold Friend is what he is implied to be, then it seems unlikely he'd be going around with a friend. And the name "Ellie" is puzzling: it's a female name, but the character is clearly stated to be male. It's also noteworthy that he's supposedly older than Arnold.

Apparently, literary critic Joan Easterly has suggested Ellie is a parody of the Greek god of mercy, Elios. That would offer a reason why he's older than Arnold but other aspects of this feel like a stretch: the story is not a parody, Ellie is certainly not merciful and it doesn't explain his silence, or the radio, or the gender-fluid name.

Are there any other theories as to who Ellie represents, or any clues from the author we can go on?

Answer 1

I did a Jstor trawl, and found some alternative interpretations:

As you noted, Easterly links Ellie Oscar’s name to the Greek god Elios, god of mercy. The name is ironic, just as Friend is actually a fiend, Elioscar is mercy-less. Easterly sees Friend as a Greek satyr. Satyrs, she claims, normally travel in pairs to seduce / rape women, so Ellie has some satyr-like aspects as well. Reinforcing this is that Ellie plays music, as satyrs do.

Easterly, Joan (1990). The Shadow of a Satyr in Oates's 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?', Studies in Short Fiction, 00393789, September 1, 1990, Vol. 27, Issue 4

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Some other interpretations:

Ellie Oscar represents Immortality. The name is reminiscent of ‘Elijah’s car’ and links the gold jalopy to the golden chariot that carried the prophet Elijah to Heaven. This interpretation sees Friend as a personification of Death, rather than as the Devil. (The story was originally titled Death and the Maiden but Oates changed it because it was too explicit)

Widmayer, M.E. (2004). Death and the Maiden in Joyce Carol Oates’s ‘Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?’ Journal of the Short Story in English. Les Cahiers de la nouvelle, [online] (42), pp.91–109. Available at: https://journals.openedition.org/jsse/383.

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Ellie Oscar is based on Elvis Presley, and represents the dark side of teenage rebellion and rock music. His appearance (hair and sideburns) and clothes are similar to Elvis, and he is strongly linked to music. This author sees Elvis as an androgynous, or sometimes feminine figure, hence the gender ambiguous name for Ellie.

Petry, A. (1988). Who is Ellie? Oates’ "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Studies in Short Fiction, 25(2).

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The story takes place in Connie’s head, and is a metaphor for her growing up. Ellie Oscar is an example of someone who refuses to grow up, as evidenced by how he is talked down to by Arnold, has to sit in the back seat, and has no sexual identity (hence the mixed gender names).

WEINBERGER, G. J. (1988). Who is Arnold Friend? The Other Self in Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” American Imago, 45(2), 205–215.

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None of these theories fully appeal to me, although I like 'Elios' as the source of the name. The story was partially inspired by serial killer Charles H. Schmid. He lured his first victim from her house with the help of his girlfriend, and another male friend. My personal theory is that Ellie Oscar represents these two people, and by extension broader social forces that push Connie into her role as victim, by serving as largely silent back-up for the active instigator (Friend) leading Connie towards her doom. This is based on the double name, and his obsession with the radio, which he listens to constantly and is totally absorbed by. (Rock music in the story is shown as powerful influence on Connie.)