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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Allusions
Explanation and Analysis—The Bible:
When Arnold Friend appears at Connie’s house, one of the first things Connie notices is that his car is covered in words and numbers. Many scholars agree that the specific numbers on his car that Arnold points out to Connie in the following passage are a subtle allusion to the Bible:
“Now, these numbers are a secret code, honey,” Arnold Friend explained. He read off the numbers 33, 19, 17 and raised his eyebrows at her to see what she thought of that, but she didn't think much of it.
The particular numbers that Arnold mentions here (33, 19, and 17) are likely a reference to verse 19:17 of the book of Judges, which is the 33rd book of the Bible when counting backwards from Revelation. That verse contains the following lines: “When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, ‘Where are you going? Where did you come from?’” While this question comes from a place of kindness (the old man offers the traveler and his concubine a place to stay for the night), a group of men from the town end up appearing at the old man’s house and taking the concubine, who they rape and torture to death.
In this way, Judges 19:17 mirrors the actions of the story, as it is assumed that Arnold (who is based on a real-life serial killer who raped and murdered three young women in Arizona in the 1960s) is going to rape and kill Connie at the end of the story once she gets into his car. By invoking the Bible in this moment, Oates also subtly draws connections between Arnold and Christian ideas of evil.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Bob Dylan:
The final lines of the story—which capture the moment when Connie leaves her house to join the coercive Arnold in his car—contain an allusion to Bob Dylan, as seen in the following passage:
“My sweet little blue-eyed girl,” he said in a half-sung sigh that had nothing to do with her brown eyes but was taken up just the same by the vast sunlit reaches of the land behind him and on all sides of him—so much land that Connie had never seen before and did not recognize except to know that she was going to it.
When Arnold refers to Connie as his “sweet little blue-eyed girl,” he seems to be referencing a lyric from Dylan’s song “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” which was released in 1965 and was likely popular at the time the story takes place. As the narrator notes here, Connie has brown eyes, which further suggests that this is a line from a song rather than a comment on Connie’s appearance. That Oates dedicated this story to Dylan and cited “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” as an inspiration for the story also gives context for this particular turn of phrase.
This moment is significant because, throughout the story, Arnold has manipulated Connie through music. Both times that they meet he is playing the same radio station as she is, likely a strategic move on his part to make him appear younger (the same way that he puts on makeup to seem like a teenager, despite being at least 30 years old). This is one of the many ways that Oates communicates looks can be deceiving.
Related Themes:
