Joyce Carol Oates, ends her short story on an extremely dark and ambiguous note. The reader is led to speculate what occurred to Connie, and whether she survived that cruel twist of fate with her abductor Arnold Friend. It ends as Connie meandered uneasily to the waiting car with Arnold Friend, and embarked off into the unknown. In contrast, the movie adaptation concludes with the reunification of Connie and her loved ones, after spending undetermined amount of the day with Arnold Friend. Connie arrives home, however, to her family’s surprise, she has a newfound gratitude for them; and is overwhelmingly thrilled to be with her mother, regardless of years and years of insurrection. The conclusion of the movie provides closure as to the well-being
