Connie comes into an encounter at her house with Arnold Friend. “After a while she heard a car coming up the drive. It was an open jalopy painted bright gold that caught the sunlight opaquely” (582: 15). It was Arnold Friend coming to take Connie away from the world as she knew it. Arnold is very persistent about getting Connie into his car to take a ride with him. Although she feels flattered that an older man has an attraction to her, Connie is afraid of Arnold Friend and his persistence. Connie tries to call her family to protect her but never figures out how to use the phone. She always expects that she can fall back on her family life for support even though she is never there for them.Arnold Friend begins to threaten Connie. Arnold is wearing metallic mirrored sunglasses; this allows Connie to see herself in the reflection. Through her own eyes Connie can’t see reality. In her innocence, Connie plays tricks with Arnold not knowing the danger that it will lead to. Connie threatens to call the police if he doesn’t leave; but he promises not to enter the house. Arnold retaliates to the threat of Connie calling the police by stating , “Soon as you touch that phone I don’t need to keep my promise and will come inside. You won’t want that.”(588: 117) By this statement Arnold is saying that he will enter not only her house, but into her life and take away her innocence. Arnold knows all about Connie and her life, probably more than Connie knows herself. Arnold tries to tell Connie that everything she is doing is for him; “You washed your hair for me”(589: 124). Arnold is trying to convince Connie that she looks nice for him. Arnold convinces Connie that she does everything for him. He enters the house and enters Connie’s world. Arnold takes away Connie’s innocence and all that she has. Although Connie lives in a dream world, she is innocent in...
