Many readers have come up with their own interpretation of the story “Where Are You Going? Where have you been?” describing it as a “inverted fairy tale” or even “a tale of initiation into the evils of depraved American culture. To me it is simply a thriller/ horror about a young girl who is confronted by her stalker and lured into his trap and eventually assaulted in many ways. The Story does not go further than when Connie gives in to Arnold but the subtle threats the Arnorld throws out there in his encounter with Connie makes his intentions seem more than sinister. Even going back to when Connie spots the “boy” at the drive-in restaurant and he tells her “gonna get you baby” from a distance made me unsettled and nervous for what that may mean. In Korbs’ essay about the story, the writer explains that people may interpret Arnold as the devil with the way he had “Supernatural” awareness on Connie and her families whereabouts. For me, this story was a lot more realistic, the almost omniscient awareness Arnold seemed to have was just his obsessive nature and that he’s been watching Connie way before she saw him at the restaurant. He knew where her family was and what they were doing by simply staking out her house and following her family as they pulled off while Connie enjoyed her alone time until Arnold came back. This terrifying story is something that can very much happen in reality and to me is far from a fairy tale.
Powered by:
top
4 thoughts on “Toribio Mendez Discussion 14”
Hello Toribio, I must agree when you said how realistic the story was for you because I shared the same experience. According to the critiques and the author themselves, this is the whole point in this type of writing style. Th author uses dark themes to convey a feeling, using real world experiences to go further to connect with a reader. This story was a great example of how this is done. Personally, I would have to say this was a good read and I enjoyed this sark sense of writing because it leaves me with an eerie but pleasant experience.
dark*
Thank you, Toribio for interesting and valuable point of view. I also can see the stalking issue story here, I can say that this story skillfully interacts with our feelings and fears. A number of people see different interpretations here, including stalking, however, I consider that the story about stalking is just a form of the author’s message, and the issue is a bit deeper. So, maybe the story, which makes us to think, to discuss and has a number of interpretation is an example of wonderful author’s piece of art
Hello Toribio, I completely agree with your interpretation of the story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” as a thriller/horror that deals with the disturbing reality of stalking and assault. Arnold’s actions and words are more than enough to unsettle any reader and make them fear for Connie’s safety. Your view that Arnold’s awareness of Connie’s whereabouts was simply due to his obsessive nature and stalking behavior, rather than any supernatural powers, makes perfect sense to me. This story is a chilling reminder of the dangers that can exist in the real world, and I appreciate your thoughtful analysis of it.