Well, this story was pretty scary and made my heart stop. One way that Oates creates and maintains tension is through the idyllic beginning of the story. At first, I thought it would just be about Connie and how she would have some embarrassing yet typical sexual awakening. However, this story ends up being about her abduction and possible rape/murder, which was an ending that the reader probably didn't expect from those details about Connie's superficiality or her sister's dowdiness. Oates does an amazing job of fleshing out Connie's life that I was more engrossed by Connie's teenage exploits and was not aware of clues that hinted at the story's gruesome ending.
Another way that Oates provides tension in the story is the way that Arnold approaches Connie out of nowhere. We read about Connie playing around the house on a typical lazy Sunday, when Arnold knocks on her door unexpectedly. At first, he seems like more of a lecherous older man instead of a kidnapper. Then he slips that he knows more and more about Connie's life, which lets the reader know how truly creepy he is. Also the confrontation between Connie and Arnold is lengthy, which is pretty true to how those type of scary encounters feel in real life. They feel like they've been going on for hours, even if it's just been minutes.
I do have one question about the story though. Was the young boy Connie met and swooned over at the diner an accomplice of Arnold? Since the story was based on serial killer Charles Schmid who had high school accomplices, it seems likely, or it could just be Oates messing with us yet again.
Knowing that this was based on a serial killer gives a whole different perspective to the story. Obviously it has that type of vibe, but knowing that it's based on a real person/situation makes it so much more unsettling. What you said about how those types of creepy encounters can feel like they go on for hours is so true. The whole time my heart was beating so fast and I just wanted it to be over, but I had a feeling that even if he had left, he wouldn't have let her go that easy.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe this was based on real events. Everything in the story involving Arnold just feels so unreal, so that fact is absolutely disturbing. Also, I like how you recognize how much Oates messes with us in this story. It almost feels evil how much she plays with our head, from her description of Arnold to Connie's eventual fall into his plan.
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