Connie: Family and Arnold Essay

Submitted By xvanessaxmarie
Words: 985
Pages: 4
Open Document
Vanessa Donnelly
Douglas Browning
Composition II
September 11th, 2012
Where Are You Going, Where have you been? Connie a fifteen year old girl who was all about her looks, what she was going to wear tomorrow and what her friends were doing was what she was always worried about. Although Connie had her friends, she had two sides to her, the “loud and silly” side with her friends and the “quiet and closed off” with her family. Connie was always being told by her mother “Why can’t you be more like you sister?” All Connie wanted to do was be with her friends, and worry about her looks. She was happier when people complimented her, especially the boys. When Connie met Arnold Friend, she couldn’t help but give off that “hard to get” vibe just because that was the type of girl she was. When Arnold came to her house, Connie really debated on getting in his car for a ride. The responsible, yet worried side she began to show as he talked to her with an attitude of “If you don’t get in my car or else...” Connie didn’t know what else to do but listen to him since she knew she couldn’t put her family in that type of danger, and hope everything will be okay in the end. Even though Connie is fifteen, she realizes that family starts to mean so much more when pushed to the extinct. When Connie isn’t with her friends and having with them, she is usually at home with her family. Connie is constantly being thrown down by her mother “Why can’t you be more like your sister?” “Why do you use make up?” Something Connie’s knew her mom would never understand. Connie used make up, hung out friends, dressed up nice almost every day because that was her thing and doing those things made her feel so much better and none of those thoughts mattered what her mother said to her. She really has no family-friends, noticing her father is only mentioned three times in the story, and how he sits backs and lets her mom just yell her at her, really shows how Connie doesn’t have a father figure and if she would have had a better father figure then protecting herself from Arnold would have ended up differently. Or even a better sister figure would have helped the situation out more. Her sister June is like her mom except without all the nagging and throwing her down attitude her mother gives to Connie. The characters in the stories all have different moods, and their own characterization. Connie is sort of like a puppet with her family, if she does something wrong she is frowned upon by basically everyone. Then comes June, her sister the smart go getter and the girl who does everything completely right and the person her mom praises the most out of the two sisters. And then comes next is Connie’s mother. Connie’s mother was very strict with what Connie was always doing; she couldn’t put Connie down more than she already was. Then comes Connie’s father, he’s very quiet and doesn’t stick up for Connie like she wants him to. And then there’s Arnold, the guy who basically talks Connie into doing everything he says which is not such a good idea as the story goes.
Connie thinks that she and Arnold are just going for a ride, when really by his tone he doesn’t sound so promising for a nice ride. Arnold friend is the type of guy who might just do anything to get with Connie. And most likely getting in the car with him what happens will happen badly. For Connie’s situation death, rape, and even giving her the horrible memories that roll over a lifetime with her, the “right” decision could always be the worst. Since Connie is
Show More

Related Documents: Connie: Family and Arnold Essay

Where Are You Going Where Have You Been Connie's Relationship Essay

Where Have You Been?” there is no exact explanation of what happens to Connie. Connie is a fifteen year old girl with a bad relationship with her mother. Her mother is constantly praising her older sister, June, who is the perfect child. Connie’s father is always working, so the only parental relationship she has is with her mother. This has made Connie a very independent and rebellious girl. Connie’s father usually drives Connie to the plaza, where her and her friends sneak across the highway to the…

Words 827 - Pages 4

Essay on Disilussion

to do with Connie’s relationship with her parents. Connie is only 15 years of age, yet she has a lot of freedom, if her parents would sit down with her and ask her where was she going or at least give her a curfew she would have not got in so much trouble but it seems like Connie’s Dad did not have much to say to Connie. I believed that her parents had to do with what had happen to her because they did not give her the attention she needed. Connie would sneak out because she knew that her parents…

Words 866 - Pages 4

Women Rights Essay

Oates is a short story about a conceded teenage girl named Connie. Connie is a 15 year old girl that is beautiful and knows it. She is that type of girl that cannot walk by a mirror without breaking her neck to check herself out, making sure every single aspect of her is perfect. Along with her beauty and everything else she has well for her, she also has a family that cares about her. She doesn’t really care much for them though. Connie has an older sister, a father and mother. However, Connie’s…

Words 955 - Pages 4

Arnold Friend Symbolism

teenage girl, Connie. Connie was a typical teenage girl, she showed a modest amount of decorum when it was necessary, enjoyed nights out with friends, and loved looking at herself in the mirror. She had minor conflicts with her mother, like most do, but had a good relationship with her older sister, June. One Sunday morning, the whole family abstained from church, and Connie skipped the family barbeque. While she was alone, a car pulled up to the house, this car was that of a man, Arnold Friend. A slender…

Words 865 - Pages 4

Arnold Friend: Still Relevant To Today's Generations

seen today, if not more than before. Connie is the prime example of what a young teenager is capable of doing to rebel and what influences one to do so. Arnold Friend is an example of stranger danger and is just one of the many situations that could be brought upon oneself from being too liberal or carefree. Connie is referred to in the beginning as being two-sided. At home, Connie seems immature, but away from home, she aims to look mature, and seductive. Connie is unjustly compared to her twenty-four-year-old…

Words 454 - Pages 2

Character Analysis Of Connie In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

protagonist Connie, ultimately results in her downfall due to the effect of societal pressures. While Connie is a popular and attractive young girl, she has a lot more going against her in life. She has no relationship with her father, she is constantly nagged by her mother to be more like her older sister, and is only interested with how she looks rather than things that should matter more to her, such as her education or her relationships with her family. Connie acts disinterested with her family when…

Words 1782 - Pages 8

Smooth Talk Movie Vs Short Story

this short story is mostly situated in a burger joint and a suburban home, with the problem of Connie being a girl that enjoys having a “good time” a little too much for her age. Connie, the main character, is a fifteen-year-old girl spending her summer going out with her friends and meeting boys over at the burger joint where most of the older guys spend their free time. In the end, this causes Connie some trouble over an older guy that had taken a liking to her. This short story has many different…

Words 1185 - Pages 5

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Notes Essay

and men, while completely unaware of the evil of the innocent world she thought she was living in. Connie represents the innocent teenage girl, and Arnold Friend represents the evil in the world. Being a typical teenage girl, Connie wanted nothing to do with her parents and was leading two personalities: one confined to her house and family; the other for the rest of the world to see. Connie was still a child, obsessing over her looks to catch the attention of boys, and only really liking the…

Words 408 - Pages 2

Essay An Analysis of Oates' Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been

Coleman 1 Forrest Coleman ENGL 1B Prof. Nicole Brown 17 September 2013 I don't know where i am going When reading the short story, “Where are you going, where have you been?” I stumbled upon a very important theme that is found within. Connie who is the main character, is fifteen years old and is caught up in fantasy versus reality. As humans we are exceptional at creating imagination. When we fantasize about something, it's something that is very unlikely to come true.Fantasy is the distortion of reality…

Words 777 - Pages 4

Summary Of The Story 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been'

there is evidence to support that Connie has fallen asleep and is dreaming. The evidence incudes; Connie has fallen asleep includes; Connie and her attacker have an unsettling connection, she has already fallen asleep once, and events take place that commonly happens in people’s dreams. Connie’s mother says, “Her mind [is] filled with trashy dreams” (Oates 201). Connie is having an “exotic” even “trashy” dream about being saved by an older man from her home life. Connie first falls asleep outside of…

Words 893 - Pages 4