Arnold Friend is the main character in the story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” who shares fairly the same amount of common characteristics as the main character in the story “The Pied Piper of Tucson” known as Smitty. Arnold tries to trick Connie to go for a ride in his car by sweet-talking to her and impressing her by his charm. Once Connie refuses Arnold results to harassing her and threatening her family if she doesn’t go with him. Smitty uses the same tactics when it came to talking to the ladies but when it didn’t go the way he had hoped, that is when he turned violent and turned his girlfriends into victims. Arnold initial plan was to carry out violence but it never escalated enough for him to follow through with it. Arnold
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His choice of prey, Connie, was harder headed and loved herself more than anyone. It was Connie’s world; everyone else was living in it. She was very distant towards her parents for the reason that she didn’t feel like she lived up to her parent’s expectations, “Why don’t you keep your room clean like your sister?” (Oates 1034). When Arnold tried to smooth talk her over, he soon realized he set himself up for a challenge. Both main characters, Arnold and Smitty, were demanding and knew what they wanted and how to accomplish the task. The setting of the two stories has many alike and differences. Both of them took place in small town where not much action took place, especially crime related in the late 1960’s. This specific time period was known as the sexual revolution, which is what both men were out to get. The main setting in “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been” takes place at Connie’s house while her parents and sister are away at a family gathering. Unlike the other story "The Pied Piper of Tucson" doesn't have the main setting because Smitty seems to always be on the go, usually …show more content…
They both are very remorseful for the victim that was being attacked because those kinds of situations happen every day to girls. The tone for "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" seems more comical at the beginning then turns to serious. Unlike the tone in “The Pied Piper of Tucson”, through the whole story, Moser seems very serious and emotional. The central theme that is related to both stories is The Individual in Society, which means society and a person's inner nature are always at war. Those who feel like they are the outcast or self-conscious about their self-are always struggling to fit into society and find where they belong. Both main characters have a hard time figuring out their purpose in life, so they resort to the lowest of the low, which is rape, and kill the innocent. Arnold tries to hint around about his intentions but she doesn’t catch on, “This is your day set aside for a ride with me and you know it” (Oates 1038).
Smitty eventually gets to the point he doesn't care anymore if he gets caught for his wrongdoings, "I put the bodies in the most obvious place I could think of because I just didn’t care anymore” (Moser
His choice of prey, Connie, was harder headed and loved herself more than anyone. It was Connie’s world; everyone else was living in it. She was very distant towards her parents for the reason that she didn’t feel like she lived up to her parent’s expectations, “Why don’t you keep your room clean like your sister?” (Oates 1034). When Arnold tried to smooth talk her over, he soon realized he set himself up for a challenge. Both main characters, Arnold and Smitty, were demanding and knew what they wanted and how to accomplish the task. The setting of the two stories has many alike and differences. Both of them took place in small town where not much action took place, especially crime related in the late 1960’s. This specific time period was known as the sexual revolution, which is what both men were out to get. The main setting in “Where Are You Going Where Have You Been” takes place at Connie’s house while her parents and sister are away at a family gathering. Unlike the other story "The Pied Piper of Tucson" doesn't have the main setting because Smitty seems to always be on the go, usually …show more content…
They both are very remorseful for the victim that was being attacked because those kinds of situations happen every day to girls. The tone for "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" seems more comical at the beginning then turns to serious. Unlike the tone in “The Pied Piper of Tucson”, through the whole story, Moser seems very serious and emotional. The central theme that is related to both stories is The Individual in Society, which means society and a person's inner nature are always at war. Those who feel like they are the outcast or self-conscious about their self-are always struggling to fit into society and find where they belong. Both main characters have a hard time figuring out their purpose in life, so they resort to the lowest of the low, which is rape, and kill the innocent. Arnold tries to hint around about his intentions but she doesn’t catch on, “This is your day set aside for a ride with me and you know it” (Oates 1038).
Smitty eventually gets to the point he doesn't care anymore if he gets caught for his wrongdoings, "I put the bodies in the most obvious place I could think of because I just didn’t care anymore” (Moser