'Lightning in Perhentian Island, Terengganu, Malaysia' by Fadzly @ flickr

Recently, in the “Intro to Literature” course I’m taking, we had a discussion of Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”  It’s a tale of a teenage girl, Connie, who is attractive, promiscuous, and at odds with her mother over vanity.  In the end, this all plays out when the creepy Arnold Friend arrives at her house, trying to coax her into leaving with him while her family is away.  Connie, not willing to leave, takes refuge in her house where nothing separates her from Arnold but a flimsy screen door, yet Arnold refuses to make a move – unless, that is, she tries to pick up the phone.  He does, however, threaten violence upon her whole family if she doesn’t leave with him before they return.

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