Who is Arnold Friend?

Initially portrayed as "a boy with shaggy black hair, in a convertible jalopy painted gold" who notices Connie at the drive-in restaurant, Arnold Friend assumes many identities throughout the story. He is the sweet-talking suitor, whose appearance Connie approves of because of his "familiar face." He is also a potential rapist and murderer who uses psychological manipulation to appeal to Connie's vanity and her need to be liked by men. Perhaps the most terrifying thing about Arnold Friend is that he blends elements of romance-"I took a special interest in you, such a pretty girl" and violence-"We ain't leaving until you come with US"-in order to appeal to a young woman unsure of who she is. Arnold Friend's name is a dark joke, alternately A. Friend, or without too much transformation, A. Fiend. Many critics have suggested that Arnold Friend is the devil in disguise. He has trouble balancing on his small feet-hooves? and the make-up on his face makes him look younger than he really his. He tells Connie that he's eighteen, although she estimates that he must be at least thirty. He calls an "X" he draws in the air "his sign," and knows that Connie's family is away for the afternoon at a family barbecue and recites their whereabouts in astonishing detail. In the end, the reality of Arnold's existence is for the reader to decide.