Manika Homere, Discussion 5

In Rena Korb’s article,  she demonstrates the interpretation of ”Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? suggest that the story subverts traditional fairy tale elements. From my understanding, I can see how this story shares some similarities with traditional fairy tales, such as the presence of a young female protagonist Connie can be seen as a modern-day Cinderella. She is portrayed as a young female who initially encounters a dangerous figure by an older man,  and is enchanted by the attention she receives from the mysterious elder man, Arnold’s friend. I believe that as the story progresses, Connie starts to realize that Arnold is not the prince charming she initially believed him to be, and she becomes trapped in a nightmarish situation. And I can see the character of Arnold Friend, who represents the antagonist in the story can be seen as a distorted version of the traditional fairy tale prince or hero.  However, the story deviates from the typical fairy tale narrative by focusing on the harsh realities of the world rather than providing a clear-cut moral or a happy ending.