Myles Hypse
February 3rd, 2017
English 1B
3:30-4:40pm

Two Psychopaths

Both of these stories give the reader a good look into the eyes of two characters, who both refuse to take no for an answer. One of them, Arnold Friend although at first appearing friendly and charming, is nothing more than a malicious predator, similar in kind to The Misfit, who greets his victims in a much more sinister way. The two characters, when stood side by side, almost seemed as they become one, yet are polar opposites. When one compares the character Arnold Friend to that of The Misfit, many similarities and differences bubble to the surface and reveal themselves to the reader.
Out of the many character traits the two killers had in common; the one that …show more content…
The Misfit actually says he is like Jesus, except Jesus hadn't committed a crime and he had. In the case of The Misfit, he isn't just driving down the road killing people at random, but seems to be sticking to his own moral code while taking place in his killings. He knows what he does is wrong yet still does it, unlike Arnold Friend who seems to do it for an unknown reason. For example, while talking to the grandmother in her final moments he reveals that he has thought about Jesus deeply yet has never once prayed. He states that “It was the same case with Him as with me except He hadn't committed any crime and they could prove I had committed one because they had papers on me”. Meaning in his eyes he feels there is much similarity between him and the Son of …show more content…
In the story written by Oates's, Arnold's character seemed to be attracted to younger girls, Connie in particular. This can be seen through Arnold's attempts in making himself look younger to impress Connie at the door. Oates describes the way Arnold was dressed in lines 50-52, as “tight faded jeans stuffed into black, scuffed boots, a belt that pulled his waist and showed how lean he was, and a white pullover shirt that was a little soiled and showed the hard small muscles of his arms and shoulders(Approaching Literature 486)." On the other hand in O’Connor’s story the Misfit seemed to target people that were going against his own godly morals. For instance, when The Misfit is chatting with the grandmother and hearing her beg for him to pray, he sees she was not the great "lady" she claims herself to be, and he sees this as a reason to kill her off. This can be seen the instant The Misfits shoots the Grandmother and then says, "She would have been a good woman if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life" (Approaching Literature 146). Giving the reader the conclusion that he might of let her live if she hadn’t of acted the way she