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

In short fiction, characters will go through a series of events causing them to question or reflect upon their life or the world around them. Most of the time, these characters will go through some sort of change, either positive or negative. However, in some cases characters will go through these life-altering events and not change at all. In the story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Connie struggles with wanting to be an adult, but is also scared of what that means, until her moment of transformation where she decides that she wants to leave and go with Arnold Friend. Connie’s transformation is her deciding that she does not want to be a child, in a family who do not understand her, anymore. Instead she chooses to go with Arnold Friend so she can do what adults do without the judgements and rules that her family puts in place. It is necessary to evaluate all the aspects of the story, such as what is happening to Connie internally and what is happening in the world around her, to fully grasp what the moment of transition is for this character, what its significance is and what brought her to that moment.
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Or it can be looked at as though it is all in Connie’s head and she is debating internally about where she belongs in the world and who she wants to be. Either way, Connie is very conflicted in her life and wants to get out. The moment that she decides to leave the house and go with Arnold Friend is a very significant part to the story as a whole. While it is true that Connie wanted to get out of the life she was in, the moment that made her stand up and walk towards the door was when he threatened her family. This reveals that even though she says she hates her family and wants to be rid of them, she makes this sacrifice for them because she does not want to see them