Class Three - 1.20.10

After reading "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", I read the newspaper article that Joyce Carol Oates used as inspiration for the piece. When I had only read "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" it puzzled me that Connie reacted to Arnold the way she did. Why didn't she just go into the house and lock the door? Why didn't she call 911 as soon as he started acting weird? But then after reading the article from the newspaper I realized why Connie hadn't taken actions into her own hands - she was mesmerized by Arnold - his mysterious, older qualities, his mature, suave nature. I remember when I was Connies age - if an older guy talked to me, I went with it, even if I knew deep down it was complete B.S. Older guys often have that power over younger girls and I think that's why he preyed on them in the first place.