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.
When the main character, or protagonist, does not change in a story, that can mean that the author is trying to make a point that this character is too stubborn, immature or not psychologically ready to face these changes. In this story, Connie is reluctant at first to go with Arnold Friend and in a sense become an adult. She feels secure and safe in the comfort of her house and is scared to grow up. If Connie had ultimately decided to stay in the house, then it could have been concluded that she was not prepared to face the consequences of going with Arnold Friend. The consequences of the character not changing, would have been that she would still be in conflict with her family and not feel understood. However, since she did end up leaving the house, it can be implied that she was emotionally and psychologically prepared to leave the comfort and security of being a child and face the repercussions of becoming an adult. When young people are going through the stages of puberty and going through several changes in their lives, they can lose themselves and their identity. This can cause a lot of young people to act in a way that is different from how they normally act. When they are trying to figure out what all of these new emotions mean to them, they can act out in ways like it is shown in the story. Connie actively lies to her parents’ and breaks her parents rules by telling them she is going to see a movie with her friend, while in reality she is going to meet boys. For girls at this age, it is especially common for them to fight and not get along with their mothers as shown in Connie’s hatred of her mother. In reality, her mother is most likely just trying to do what she thinks is best for Connie. On top of this, she does not like her sister and believes her family does not understand her. When a character is put in a difficult position, like the one Connie is put in later in the story, the feeling of being isolated from the people around you and not being understood by anyone will make it seem as though that option being placed in front of you is …show more content…
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