Every human being has a desire. Whether it's winning the geography competition or becoming the richest man in America, wishes have been something that people have always wanted, but sometimes, if not always, take drastic actions to make them come true. Whether it's as bad as killing a man or as good as building a public library, people do these things to fulfill their desires. Symbols in literature manifest themselves through a character's desires. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay in "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Oates writes about Arnold Friend's desire to become Connie's boyfriend, which makes him a more cunning man. When Arnold arrives at Connie's house, Arnold tries to convince Connie to come in his car “Don't you want to see what's on the car? Don't you want to go for a ride?". Arnold continues to use more examples of trying to trick Connie into being his girlfriend by trying to be charming through his words and lilting voice because his wish was for Connie to be his girlfriend. Connie described him and his voice as “He spoke in a simple, lilting voice, exactly as if he were reciting the words to a song. His smile assured her that everything was fine." In this description, Connie describes how Arnold Friend has charisma about her and that she likes how he talks and what he does. Arnold Friend does this to win Connie over and goes a long way towards her becoming Connie's boyfriend. Wishes make people work hard to make that wish come true, and Oates described Friend as a cunning man because he wanted Arnold to be characterized as the devil because of his ways of persuading Connie, like Satan persuades humans to sin. in literature they were often found through a person's desires. After all, desires dictate what people say or do, as seen in “Where Are You Going? Where have you been?” In literature, symbols have always manifested themselves through a person's desires, whether it was something evil like killing a man or establishing a public library. All humans have wished for a wish in life and often take drastic actions to make those wishes come true.