When I read this story, I guessed from the beginning that Connie was going to get herself into trouble. I think there are a lot of clues that point to the ending of the story. However, I was confused as to why she felt so overpowered by Arnold Friend that she could not call the police. It seems to me that due to the awkward way his boots fit and the fact that he did not rush at her when she went for the phone, Connie should have continued dialing. "911" is not a very long phone number, and even if she was assaulted by Arnold soon after dialing, she could have screamed into the phone for help. On the other hand, I wondered what the roaring was that came from the phone. Did Arnold and Ellie manage to disconnect or damage it?
In any case, I appreciated this story a lot. It reminded me of my own naivete as a younger girl. When it came to boys, we all wanted to look our best and attract attention, and many times I seem to recall disregarding the age of the boys whom I wanted to notice me. Did I ever approach an older boy or allow them to approach me? No. I was just a silly girl. But I do remember feeling as Connie does at the drive-in when she catches Arnold's eye: flattered. It is scary to think that the situation with Arnold could happen to anyone, and that it does more often than it should. Facebook, Myspace, and online blogs seem to have opened an entirely new way for those whom we do not want in our lives to gain access. I guess this story hit home even more for me because I have always been afraid, even today, of staying home alone, although the solid wooden door of my house provides much more protection than Connie's screen door.
I hope that we discuss in class some possible reasons behind Connie's decision to surrender to Arnold. I understand that he threatened her family, but she seemed to give in to him quite easily in the end, and this confused me.
Lastly, I do have to say that I wondered if the entire ending of Joyce Carol Oates' story was a dream, since Connie closed her eyes in the lawn chair, and since it was warm, she could have easily fallen asleep. If her encounter with Arnold was a dream, I would say that she would surely be more careful from that day on pertaining to how she dressed and which types of men she tried to attract.
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I thought the same thing when Ellie talked about the phone. I thought he was going to unplug the phone, so even if Connie did decide to pick up the phone, she would still be screwed. The falling asleep theory is very interesting. I never even contemplated this not happening in "real" life.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the reasons why Connie did not act are quite interesting. It seems like Arnold got into her head so much that all sense of self preservation went out the window. Unfortunately, I believe that I would act the same way if I were her. I think fear has the ability to make us freeze and not make the right decisions.
ReplyDeleteI think her age also played a pivotal role in her actions. Many teenagers are oblivious and don't think about their actions. I know when I was younger I thought that nothing bad was going to happen to me. It's unfortunate that her parents did not try and take a more active role in her actions.
Also, I never thought about the dream theory! That's a really interesting idea.
First off, I decided to comment on your blog because I also used to be afraid of staying home alone, possibly because I was afraid of a creeper like Arnold showing up while my family was gone. I really like how you related this story to Facebook and MySpace because it gives the same message in a modern application. As I was first reading the story, I thought that Connie was a bit naive, but I also considered that her actions could have been different because of the times. Either way, I agree that she could have acted differently when Arnold came to the house. Even if she just sat there, it would have been better than getting up and leaving with him. He said he would keep his promises, and he promised not to come inside as long as she did not call the police. I can't blame her much though; if I was in the same situation, chances are I would be so scared I couldn't even think.
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