main section of the story ironically takes place on Sunday. Sunday is the Holy day and Friend, in all probability, feels that by degrading God, he is proving himself more powerful. Oates uses his name, Friend, as symbolic irony. Arnold is inevitably evil, and Oates uses his name to represent him as a Devil's Advocate playing both sides. "After his hand fell back to his side the X was still in the air, almost visible" (593). The X is a sign of evil, and Friend tells Connie that it is his sign. This could also imply that Friend was putting a "spell" on Connie to make her obey and succumb to his every demand. The numbers (33, 19, 17) printed on the side of his car, when added up as single digits (i.e. 33 being 3 and 3) equal 24. X is the 24th letter of the alphabet.Although it is not clear in the story whether Arnold Friend is the Devil, there is much to support the idea that he is. Through Friend's manipulation and physical aspects, and through irony and symbols, one could assume that the author intended this to be true. In the event this story was based on, "Friend" most likely was not the Devil. However, evidence in the fictional work "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" reveals that he is....
