Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

It can be seen that Arnold Friend is read to represent the devil in many sources and articles about the story. This is a logical look at the character. Also if you take the “r”s out it becomes An old fiend. The devil has been an old fiend for humanity; considerably old in history of human belief systems.

Connie represents Eve to the most of the commenters. It is a logical statement when we try to see the vulnerability caused by the amateurness. Connie is between girlhood and womanhood, and this makes her confused through her rite of passage. She is new to womanhood. This is similar to Eve: she is new to the life – since she is the second person to live according to the creation theory of some dominant religions. Both of our ladies in the example are undecisive, with limited knowledge and weak eventually. Connie is a typical member of youth and can be affected emotionally easily. 

The Questions:

• When is the story based?
• How does observing the story through a narrator who presents things as Connie sees, effect the reading process?
• Why did the author use a third-person narrator – rather than simplu using Connie as the storyteller – eventhough the narrator gives the information as Connie sees?
• What is/are the theme/s of this story?
• How does Connie think and feel about her family?
• Does the transition of Connie to womanhood from girlhood make her vulnerable?