I think that the Where are You going Where have you Been reference is referring to all the places that Arnold Friend is going to take her, where shes going and where she's been.
I like how somebody in the inner group has found some research to see how the story could be based off of Bob Dylan Songs. Do you think the motif of his music has a certain message to send out possibly to girls of a teen age?
@Ian: I think the author included this because it gave the reader a look into Connie's frustrations. When thinking about the situation she has with her mother, it is understandable how she sneaks around and is constantly looking for a guy's attention. Then it is easy to see how she could get into this kind of situation with a creepy guy.
@Kelsie- I think that he chose her like "love at first sight". He said "Gonna get you baby" and later, Friend says "Seen you that night and thought, that's the one, yes sit. I never needed to look anymore."
@Kate, it was significant because her background information made her sounds vain and she would date any guy and then when Arnold comes along, she realizes that some guys are bad and she changes. If that makes sense
I think one main point is showing how we as teenagers have a perceived perspective that we get from pop songs and movies. A main point is Connie, and how she almost craves older men's attention, but once someone does she shows her innocent side when she calls out to her mother who earlier in the story she wished was dead.
@ Kate. It showed that Connie was that kind of girl who looked for that adventure and was the opposite of what her parents wanted. It also made the story more dramatic.
@ Kate, I think that if the character was not a ambitious or confident of even feel the need to be rebellious from her family because her comparison to her sister I bet she would never had got herself into the situation of attracting strangers.
@ Ian I think that the background was given to us so that we were able to recognize that Connie didn't feel as close to her family as she could have and that tempted her to do all the dangerous things like hanging out with those strangers
@Kate- I think the purpose of the background information was to show that Connie was dissatisfied with her home life and then later when she is confronted by Arnold, she wishes for her family.
@PaulG2014- In the story it mentions something about going to a field. However, I don't think Oates wanted the reader to focus on where they go in the end. It left more of an impression to have the suspense effect of not knowing where they were going, but knowing she would not come back and that there was nothing you can do about it.The end allows the reader's imagination to go wild.
Another point to Emma's point is that when I looked this story up critics had said that because his weird walking, it might seems like he's walking on hooves and in many religious documents the devil is shown and written about with hooves.
Emily, he is the uncanny aspect. He is the thing that we do not know much about and we want to know more, just like the misfit. We dont really know a lot about them and that makes them uncanny
@Emily, Arnold is that objective to Connie's freedom away from the oppression of her family, just kind of a figure that represents how her actions can also hurt herself.
@Kelsie- I think that Arnold picked to stalk Connie because she was a playful girl, and she liked to have fun. He also told her many times that she is very pretty. She is gullible and an easy target.
So the word Devil and talk about the Bible has been mentioned in this story, as well as a few other stories. Does Gothic stories use these characteristics like the devil and the Bible) to go against Puritan text. Like it's opposite?
@MadelineJ- So since the background knowledge showed she was adventurous and dangerous, she made the story more effective by showing how the situation changed her, and to show the extremity of this situation?
@Kate E. the background information on Connie makes it clear how she has two personalities. The background tells us that she rejects the role of the "nice" girl to express her adolescent desires of obsessing over herself, listening to music, hanging out with her friends, and flirting with boys. The background tells us that Connie only shows her true self to her family, and when she is away from her home and family, she has another personality-she dresses, walks, talks, and even laughs in a way to make her more appealing. The background information defines her two personalities.
Emily- Because of the mysteriousness of him, it makes the readers have more questions, and makes us wonder if he was actually there. It adds to the story, because if he was not given this creepy impression, it would have just been a story about a boy going to a girl's house and taking her for a ride in his car.
Paul>I think that the author intentionally didn't mention too much about the location where they would be "going" just to make the whole thing seem shadier and emphasize that Connie giving in would be a mistake no matter what and the apparent boundary between Arnold and Connie.
What is the significance of Connie being unaware of her surroundings? She says in the story she stops recognizing her kitchen and house and at the end of the story in the last sentence, Connie sees land that she does not remember seeing before.
@AnnaS2014- A lot of his knowledge could come from being a creepy stalker, but it could also relate to biblical terms with the devil like Emma said. Having that knowledge is almost symbolic of showing that she has no way out. She is trapped because he knows where the family is etc. It made the story a lot more creepy too.
Arnold, in my perspective, shows promises and benefits that Connie might not receive from her life at home. Like her father never being there, she might miss that attention and crave that feeling of love. Yet he was just pushing her weaknesses, and she was very surprising to me when she objected and feared she did not recognize her own home anymore.
@Michaela. That point about the devil and hooves does make sense, but could it be something else? Also could his walking be something about him like an illness?
@ Kelsie She was vulnerable to attack because she was disconnected with her family which would make her less hesitant to go with him and her family would have believed she ran away
Cassie, its uncanny that she forgets a place that she has seen so many times. He is trying to make her forget that she is not home but in a new place where she will live now.
@Cassie, I think that when she became unaware of her surroundings, it sort of signified her surrender to Arnold Friend because it was her own house that became unfamiliar, and he had said that his arms would be like home to her.
Paul- I think that it doesn't really matter where they are going. Connie doesn't need specifics, because at the end of the story, she realizes she is going to her end, whatever that may mean.
@Anna S: We don't know for sure how Arnold Friend knows the information he does, but we know it creates the idea for the reader of un-human characteristics. We don't know for sure if he is human, he could be a demon, he could be fantasy(similar to William Wilson's alter ego is a figure of his imagination in the story "William WIlson") or reality.
@Cassie, I think she was so scared and so it resulted in Connie not recognizing her surroundings. On the other hand, maybe she has been struck by the devil, since we have been talking about that aspect.
@Emily: In response to him talking from songs, I think his idea was to enchant Connie. Throughout the story Connie is so wrapped up in music, like at the restaurant, he figures if he speaks in familiar tones to music, she will be enchanted by him as well.
@Spencer, but how did he know that she was disconnected form her family? Because the story made it seem that he only started stalking her after that night at the restaurant.
@Faith: I think that could be part of it. He represents familiar ideas, like the devil and evil, so when they are all out together, it makes him 'familiar'.
@Faith- I don't think that he is the devil, but instead something similar. Maybe Oates is just trying to point out that Connie had never really paid attention to life outside herself and her group of friends. She was very selfish, and she probably had seen Arnold many times, but never paid attention to it.
Cassie: I think that her being unaware shows her fear. She is scared of Arnold Friend and what might happen if she goes with him, and so she starts worrying ans forgets very simple things, like how to dial a telephone. I also noticed that whenever she gets scared in the story she starts to get dizzy.
Faith- I think that there definitely could be some religious base to this story, but I also think that Arnold might represent inner nightmares and he is familiar to him because he is her fear.
@ Kate. Yes. The extremity shows could show a moral. Also it keeps you on your toes and wonder how it would have ended differently if she didn't look for adventure or stay at home.
@ Cassie, there was kind of supernatural atmosphere of Friend being able to pull all this information about Connie and seem to hypnotize her into this world, convincing her that the physical features have changed into the view that represents how unfamiliar her own life really is.
@Anna, I think the moment of catharsis was when she ran to the phone and started screaming into it. Because after that, she stopped resisting him as if all her emotion had drained out of her altogether.
@Kelsie: I think he may have been guessing and after her reaction of 'how did you know that?' he knows he's right and can continue to use this against her.
@Faith V- She might keep thinking Arnold is familiar because if he is symbolic for the devil, then he has already tried to tempt her towards evil before. Sin is not foreign to Connie, with lying to her parents etc, it is familiar in a way. Not Arnold himself, but the devil.
Class>The word balance is mentioned a lot when the author is describing the scene with Connie standing on the porch by the screen door and Arnold leaning against his car talking to her. Do you think this means anything or just coincidence.
@Anna- I think the moment of catharsis is when Connie realizes at the end of the story that she is not coming back. She releases herself to Arnold Friend and walks out of her house.
Anna, I would say that it is not really catharsis, but unpleasent catharsis. She has forgotten, but is not enlightened or scared. She feels lost in this new place.
@ Kelsie On the 7th page Arnold Friend knows where her family is and what is happening at that exact moment at the barbecue. He knows things a normal person wouldn't.
@Ava, I really like your thought about Connie's insecurities of not having her father at the house often and I also agree with you about the possibility that she leans towards love as a result of the fatherly figure loss.
@michael: Fear plays a big role in the story. Fear continues to develop while Connie realizes these strange things about Arnold, and Arnold continues to say strange things to her, and finally, Connie gives in to her fear when she picks up the phone and cries for her mother.
@Ava, I think the fact that her sister was such a "goody goody" influenced Connie to be more of a rebel instead of trying to be like her sister. This rebellion is probably what got her into the situation in the first place.
@Ava: Connie, being unloved by her mother because of her sister's accomplishments, was forced to focus on her good looks to draw the love and attention of guys. Even older ones, which in the end gets her into trouble.
@Michaela: I find it interesting that it plays a part through the whole story, even though she doesn't feel any after the part when she grabs the phone. Maybe it's the typical fear of a young girl in this kind of experience, then after, the lack of fear of a young girl being kidnapped, the way it is COMPLETELY gone after.
@Michaela- Fear in this story plays a major part when she finally decides to run for the phone. She is so scared of Arnold that she goes into shock, and she doesn't know how to handle the situation anymore. Also, if she had no fear, she wouldn't have gone with him in the end because she wouldn't have been afraid for her friends' and family's safety.
@ ian, I think that those positions show that even though Connie always wants to escape her life at home, it really is the only comforting boundary left, but even when that space is invaded, she sees how everything she does away from the house can somewhat come back to haunt her everywhere.
@Courtney: It's kind of the symbol of happiness, and towards the end when she knows that she has to go with Arnold, the happiness is gone and she just let's go.
@Michaelamcleod:)- I think that Oates is trying to scare the reader so that this situation does not happen to us. I researched and a source of inspiration to write this story was Charles Schmid who was a serial killer that used these manipulative psychological ways to kill. She wants to let us know how these manipulative ways work, and to scare us so we will not be in this situation.
Harper- I looked up what the numbers 33,19,17 and it refers to a bible verse 33rd book of the old testament 19:17 "And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, "Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?"
@ Ava. The sister influences her by getting her to have mixed emotions (jealousy and sorrow). Also she acts totally then her sister. It could almost make her live her life the way she does.
Ava: We know that her sister is the reason that Connie can go out with friends. I also believe that because her sister was so perfect, mature, and responsible, her "mom's favorite", this caused her to want to rebel even more, with the music and appearance and boys.
@Madeline: Connie notices that these phrases are things that pop culture in her area had said in recent years. Arnold uses these to look as if he were apart of these events to make him seem younger and familiar to his young victims.
Another quote concerning music is when Connie was out with her friends. The quote reads, "...and listened to the music that made everything so good: the music was always in the background, like music at a church service; it was something to depend on".
Ava- I think the fact that June got so much praise and love from her parents caused Connie to want to rebel even more. She thinks she is better than June, but I also think she wants to be like her. She is trying to understand why June is so much better than she is, ans why she herself can't be good enough. She knows she is gorgeous and can't understand why that isn't enough. So I think Connie does what she does because she knows it is something her sister cannot do. Connie can go downtown and pick up guys and June can't. It is one way that Connie's beauty makes her better than her sister.
@sydeny: I agree, and I think that's basically the saddest part; when she realizes she has no choice and that her just let's go and is unable to feel anything.
Courtey>I think that the music was there to make a connection between these two strangers and make it seem even weirder that Arnold was trying to persuade Connie and they had a little piece in common.
At first when we begin to feel like Arnold is dangerous and Ellie starts to move yet not make full sense, I thought Connie was having a dream and someone in reality was responding to her sleep talk or something. Just Ellie's character showed many confusing things: not moving, saying things slow and in a whisper, etc. Why do you think Ellie acts like he does?
Harper- I think the X represents Arnold's claim. The X means that Connie is now his, and he has chosen her. The X lingers in the air, and I think that shows that once you come in contact with Arnold Friend, he has an everlasting effect on you.
@ Harper. the x has been recognized badly for years. Like when a person dies they have x's as their eyes, in cartoons. Also the inappropriate way he is talking to her could be something he is telling her.
@Ava- Connie's sister played a big role on Connie's actions because by being the mom's favorite, her mom gives all her love and attention to her sister and her dad doesn't have anything to do with her life. She has to look at others to find that love that she is missing in through her family. It makes her vulnerable to a boy like Arnold who is looking for a girl that will give him what he wants.
@ Madeline, that confused me too, I think that he was playing on her past and feelings to elevate her fears and show her that he could have that kind of control over her.
Why do you think the author included the background about Connie's mom preferring her sister over her?
ReplyDeleteI think that the Where are You going Where have you Been reference is referring to all the places that Arnold Friend is going to take her, where shes going and where she's been.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the significance of the title "Where are you going and Where have you been?"?
ReplyDeleteClass- What is this story trying to teach us?
ReplyDeleteWhy did Arnold choose to stalk Connie? What made her special?
ReplyDeleteClass, where do they go in the end?
ReplyDeleteWhat was the significance of Oates adding all the background information about Connie? How did it effect the story?
ReplyDeleteI like how somebody in the inner group has found some research to see how the story could be based off of Bob Dylan Songs. Do you think the motif of his music has a certain message to send out possibly to girls of a teen age?
ReplyDeleteIan- I think the author included it to show how Connie was different from the rest of her family, and to show that she was rebelling in a sense.
ReplyDelete@Ian: I think the author included this because it gave the reader a look into Connie's frustrations. When thinking about the situation she has with her mother, it is understandable how she sneaks around and is constantly looking for a guy's attention. Then it is easy to see how she could get into this kind of situation with a creepy guy.
ReplyDelete@Kelsie- I think that he chose her like "love at first sight". He said "Gonna get you baby" and later, Friend says "Seen you that night and thought, that's the one, yes sit. I never needed to look anymore."
ReplyDeleteHow does the unrealness of Arnold Friend add to the story?
ReplyDelete@Kate, it was significant because her background information made her sounds vain and she would date any guy and then when Arnold comes along, she realizes that some guys are bad and she changes. If that makes sense
ReplyDeleteI think one main point is showing how we as teenagers have a perceived perspective that we get from pop songs and movies. A main point is Connie, and how she almost craves older men's attention, but once someone does she shows her innocent side when she calls out to her mother who earlier in the story she wished was dead.
ReplyDelete@Ian, I think that Oates was trying to show how Connie was out of the loop with her family and the role that she plays.
ReplyDelete@ Kate. It showed that Connie was that kind of girl who looked for that adventure and was the opposite of what her parents wanted. It also made the story more dramatic.
ReplyDelete@ Kate, I think that if the character was not a ambitious or confident of even feel the need to be rebellious from her family because her comparison to her sister I bet she would never had got herself into the situation of attracting strangers.
ReplyDelete@ Ian I think that the background was given to us so that we were able to recognize that Connie didn't feel as close to her family as she could have and that tempted her to do all the dangerous things like hanging out with those strangers
ReplyDelete@Kate- I think the purpose of the background information was to show that Connie was dissatisfied with her home life and then later when she is confronted by Arnold, she wishes for her family.
ReplyDelete@PaulG2014- In the story it mentions something about going to a field. However, I don't think Oates wanted the reader to focus on where they go in the end. It left more of an impression to have the suspense effect of not knowing where they were going, but knowing she would not come back and that there was nothing you can do about it.The end allows the reader's imagination to go wild.
ReplyDeleteAnother point to Emma's point is that when I looked this story up critics had said that because his weird walking, it might seems like he's walking on hooves and in many religious documents the devil is shown and written about with hooves.
ReplyDelete@Michaela, so are you saying that people turn to innocence and comfort when put in times of fear or panic?
ReplyDelete@Emily: What do you mean by unreal-ness?
ReplyDelete@ Emily it adds to the unknown element of Arnold and presented him a creepier way.
ReplyDeleteEmily, he is the uncanny aspect. He is the thing that we do not know much about and we want to know more, just like the misfit. We dont really know a lot about them and that makes them uncanny
ReplyDelete@Emily, Arnold is that objective to Connie's freedom away from the oppression of her family, just kind of a figure that represents how her actions can also hurt herself.
ReplyDelete@Kelsie- I think that Arnold picked to stalk Connie because she was a playful girl, and she liked to have fun. He also told her many times that she is very pretty. She is gullible and an easy target.
ReplyDeleteSo the word Devil and talk about the Bible has been mentioned in this story, as well as a few other stories. Does Gothic stories use these characteristics like the devil and the Bible) to go against Puritan text. Like it's opposite?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete@Class: How does Arnold know exactly what is going on at Connie's aunt's house?
ReplyDelete@MadelineJ- So since the background knowledge showed she was adventurous and dangerous, she made the story more effective by showing how the situation changed her, and to show the extremity of this situation?
ReplyDelete@Kate E. the background information on Connie makes it clear how she has two personalities. The background tells us that she rejects the role of the "nice" girl to express her adolescent desires of obsessing over herself, listening to music, hanging out with her friends, and flirting with boys. The background tells us that Connie only shows her true self to her family, and when she is away from her home and family, she has another personality-she dresses, walks, talks, and even laughs in a way to make her more appealing. The background information defines her two personalities.
ReplyDeleteEmily- Because of the mysteriousness of him, it makes the readers have more questions, and makes us wonder if he was actually there. It adds to the story, because if he was not given this creepy impression, it would have just been a story about a boy going to a girl's house and taking her for a ride in his car.
ReplyDeletePaul>I think that the author intentionally didn't mention too much about the location where they would be "going" just to make the whole thing seem shadier and emphasize that Connie giving in would be a mistake no matter what and the apparent boundary between Arnold and Connie.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the story, Connie continuously finds Arnold to be familiar. Why do you think that is? Do you really think he is the 'Devil'?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the significance of Connie being unaware of her surroundings? She says in the story she stops recognizing her kitchen and house and at the end of the story in the last sentence, Connie sees land that she does not remember seeing before.
ReplyDelete@Kelsie: Sure that also makes sense.
ReplyDelete@Jenni, I think that's a good point. He assumed she was a party girl and that she would be easy to persuade to get in his car.
ReplyDeleteAnna- Like his shoes not fitting, what he says is from songs, possibly lying about his age, being exactly what Connie's type of guy was
ReplyDelete@AnnaS2014- A lot of his knowledge could come from being a creepy stalker, but it could also relate to biblical terms with the devil like Emma said. Having that knowledge is almost symbolic of showing that she has no way out. She is trapped because he knows where the family is etc. It made the story a lot more creepy too.
ReplyDeleteArnold, in my perspective, shows promises and benefits that Connie might not receive from her life at home. Like her father never being there, she might miss that attention and crave that feeling of love. Yet he was just pushing her weaknesses, and she was very surprising to me when she objected and feared she did not recognize her own home anymore.
ReplyDelete@Michaela. That point about the devil and hooves does make sense, but could it be something else? Also could his walking be something about him like an illness?
ReplyDelete@ Kelsie She was vulnerable to attack because she was disconnected with her family which would make her less hesitant to go with him and her family would have believed she ran away
ReplyDeleteCassie, its uncanny that she forgets a place that she has seen so many times. He is trying to make her forget that she is not home but in a new place where she will live now.
ReplyDelete@Madeline: I don't know, that's just what I took from it.
ReplyDelete@Cassie, I think that when she became unaware of her surroundings, it sort of signified her surrender to Arnold Friend because it was her own house that became unfamiliar, and he had said that his arms would be like home to her.
ReplyDelete@Anna- If this story actually creates Arnold Friend to be the "devil" then this would make him able to know all of the actions of her family.
ReplyDeletePaul- I think that it doesn't really matter where they are going. Connie doesn't need specifics, because at the end of the story, she realizes she is going to her end, whatever that may mean.
ReplyDelete@Anna S: We don't know for sure how Arnold Friend knows the information he does, but we know it creates the idea for the reader of un-human characteristics. We don't know for sure if he is human, he could be a demon, he could be fantasy(similar to William Wilson's alter ego is a figure of his imagination in the story "William WIlson") or reality.
ReplyDelete@Cassie, I think she was so scared and so it resulted in Connie not recognizing her surroundings. On the other hand, maybe she has been struck by the devil, since we have been talking about that aspect.
ReplyDelete@Emily: In response to him talking from songs, I think his idea was to enchant Connie. Throughout the story Connie is so wrapped up in music, like at the restaurant, he figures if he speaks in familiar tones to music, she will be enchanted by him as well.
ReplyDelete@Spencer, but how did he know that she was disconnected form her family? Because the story made it seem that he only started stalking her after that night at the restaurant.
ReplyDelete@Faith: I think that could be part of it. He represents familiar ideas, like the devil and evil, so when they are all out together, it makes him 'familiar'.
ReplyDelete@Class: Is there a moment of catharsis in this story?
ReplyDelete@Faith- I don't think that he is the devil, but instead something similar. Maybe Oates is just trying to point out that Connie had never really paid attention to life outside herself and her group of friends. She was very selfish, and she probably had seen Arnold many times, but never paid attention to it.
ReplyDeleteCassie: I think that her being unaware shows her fear. She is scared of Arnold Friend and what might happen if she goes with him, and so she starts worrying ans forgets very simple things, like how to dial a telephone. I also noticed that whenever she gets scared in the story she starts to get dizzy.
ReplyDeleteFaith- I think that there definitely could be some religious base to this story, but I also think that Arnold might represent inner nightmares and he is familiar to him because he is her fear.
ReplyDelete@ Kate. Yes. The extremity shows could show a moral. Also it keeps you on your toes and wonder how it would have ended differently if she didn't look for adventure or stay at home.
ReplyDelete@ Cassie, there was kind of supernatural atmosphere of Friend being able to pull all this information about Connie and seem to hypnotize her into this world, convincing her that the physical features have changed into the view that represents how unfamiliar her own life really is.
ReplyDeleteDo the numbers on Arnold's car (33, 19, 17) represent anything?
ReplyDeleteWhat part do you think fear plays in this story?
ReplyDelete@Anna, I think the moment of catharsis was when she ran to the phone and started screaming into it. Because after that, she stopped resisting him as if all her emotion had drained out of her altogether.
ReplyDelete@Kelsie: I think he may have been guessing and after her reaction of 'how did you know that?' he knows he's right and can continue to use this against her.
ReplyDelete@Faith V- She might keep thinking Arnold is familiar because if he is symbolic for the devil, then he has already tried to tempt her towards evil before. Sin is not foreign to Connie, with lying to her parents etc, it is familiar in a way. Not Arnold himself, but the devil.
ReplyDeleteClass>The word balance is mentioned a lot when the author is describing the scene with Connie standing on the porch by the screen door and Arnold leaning against his car talking to her. Do you think this means anything or just coincidence.
ReplyDelete@Anna- I think the moment of catharsis is when Connie realizes at the end of the story that she is not coming back. She releases herself to Arnold Friend and walks out of her house.
ReplyDelete@ Everyone, how did her sister's character help influence Connie's choices?
ReplyDeleteAnna, I would say that it is not really catharsis, but unpleasent catharsis. She has forgotten, but is not enlightened or scared. She feels lost in this new place.
ReplyDeleteClass- Why do you think that Arnold asks Connie about the neighbor with chickens? What significance does this have?
ReplyDeleteClass: What role does music play in the story, both at the diner in the beginning and then towards the end with the radio station and in Arnold's car?
ReplyDeleteAdding on to Harper's question about the numbers on Arnold's car, What is the significance of the Phrases on his car?
ReplyDelete@ Kelsie On the 7th page Arnold Friend knows where her family is and what is happening at that exact moment at the barbecue. He knows things a normal person wouldn't.
ReplyDelete@Ava, I really like your thought about Connie's insecurities of not having her father at the house often and I also agree with you about the possibility that she leans towards love as a result of the fatherly figure loss.
ReplyDelete@michael: Fear plays a big role in the story. Fear continues to develop while Connie realizes these strange things about Arnold, and Arnold continues to say strange things to her, and finally, Connie gives in to her fear when she picks up the phone and cries for her mother.
ReplyDelete@Ava, I think the fact that her sister was such a "goody goody" influenced Connie to be more of a rebel instead of trying to be like her sister. This rebellion is probably what got her into the situation in the first place.
ReplyDelete@Ava: Connie, being unloved by her mother because of her sister's accomplishments, was forced to focus on her good looks to draw the love and attention of guys. Even older ones, which in the end gets her into trouble.
ReplyDelete@Michaela: I find it interesting that it plays a part through the whole story, even though she doesn't feel any after the part when she grabs the phone. Maybe it's the typical fear of a young girl in this kind of experience, then after, the lack of fear of a young girl being kidnapped, the way it is COMPLETELY gone after.
ReplyDelete@Michaela- Fear in this story plays a major part when she finally decides to run for the phone. She is so scared of Arnold that she goes into shock, and she doesn't know how to handle the situation anymore. Also, if she had no fear, she wouldn't have gone with him in the end because she wouldn't have been afraid for her friends' and family's safety.
ReplyDelete@ ian, I think that those positions show that even though Connie always wants to escape her life at home, it really is the only comforting boundary left, but even when that space is invaded, she sees how everything she does away from the house can somewhat come back to haunt her everywhere.
ReplyDelete@Courtney: It's kind of the symbol of happiness, and towards the end when she knows that she has to go with Arnold, the happiness is gone and she just let's go.
ReplyDelete@Michaelamcleod:)- I think that Oates is trying to scare the reader so that this situation does not happen to us. I researched and a source of inspiration to write this story was Charles
ReplyDeleteSchmid who was a serial killer that used these manipulative psychological ways to kill. She wants to let us know how these manipulative ways work, and to scare us so we will not be in this situation.
Harper- I looked up what the numbers 33,19,17 and it refers to a bible verse 33rd book of the old testament 19:17
ReplyDelete"And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, "Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?"
@ Ava. The sister influences her by getting her to have mixed emotions (jealousy and sorrow). Also she acts totally then her sister. It could almost make her live her life the way she does.
ReplyDeleteAva: We know that her sister is the reason that Connie can go out with friends. I also believe that because her sister was so perfect, mature, and responsible, her "mom's favorite", this caused her to want to rebel even more, with the music and appearance and boys.
ReplyDelete@Madeline: Connie notices that these phrases are things that pop culture in her area had said in recent years. Arnold uses these to look as if he were apart of these events to make him seem younger and familiar to his young victims.
ReplyDeleteAnother quote concerning music is when Connie was out with her friends. The quote reads, "...and listened to the music that made everything so good: the music was always in the background, like music at a church service; it was something to depend on".
ReplyDelete@Class: What does Arnold's drawing an X in the air symbolize?
ReplyDelete@Ava, Because of her sister, it seems as though Connie wants to be rebellious and not be just like her sister, in the sense of a "perfect girl."
ReplyDeleteAva- I think the fact that June got so much praise and love from her parents caused Connie to want to rebel even more. She thinks she is better than June, but I also think she wants to be like her. She is trying to understand why June is so much better than she is, ans why she herself can't be good enough. She knows she is gorgeous and can't understand why that isn't enough. So I think Connie does what she does because she knows it is something her sister cannot do. Connie can go downtown and pick up guys and June can't. It is one way that Connie's beauty makes her better than her sister.
ReplyDelete@sydeny: I agree, and I think that's basically the saddest part; when she realizes she has no choice and that her just let's go and is unable to feel anything.
ReplyDeleteWhat does the old woman who lived down the street Arnold mentions relevant?
ReplyDeleteCourtey>I think that the music was there to make a connection between these two strangers and make it seem even weirder that Arnold was trying to persuade Connie and they had a little piece in common.
ReplyDelete@Emily: That's really interesting. I think that kind of proves the religious aspect of the story in a way.
ReplyDeleteHarper- I also found that if you add all the numbers up it equals a naughty number.. Which you can probably guess ..
ReplyDeleteAt first when we begin to feel like Arnold is dangerous and Ellie starts to move yet not make full sense, I thought Connie was having a dream and someone in reality was responding to her sleep talk or something. Just Ellie's character showed many confusing things: not moving, saying things slow and in a whisper, etc. Why do you think Ellie acts like he does?
ReplyDeleteHarper- I think the X represents Arnold's claim. The X means that Connie is now his, and he has chosen her. The X lingers in the air, and I think that shows that once you come in contact with Arnold Friend, he has an everlasting effect on you.
ReplyDelete@ Harper. the x has been recognized badly for years. Like when a person dies they have x's as their eyes, in cartoons. Also the inappropriate way he is talking to her could be something he is telling her.
ReplyDelete@Ava- Connie's sister played a big role on Connie's actions because by being the mom's favorite, her mom gives all her love and attention to her sister and her dad doesn't have anything to do with her life. She has to look at others to find that love that she is missing in through her family. It makes her vulnerable to a boy like Arnold who is looking for a girl that will give him what he wants.
ReplyDeleteWas Arnold Friend real or was he a figment of Connies imagination in reaction to her poor decisions?
ReplyDelete@ Madeline, that confused me too, I think that he was playing on her past and feelings to elevate her fears and show her that he could have that kind of control over her.
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