Meet Connie and Arnold

 Connie, the story’s young protagonist, is a typical teenager with her problems and interests. Throughout the story Connie’s personage seems to be twofolded: one for her home life and another, more sexualized and polished, for her public life. Her concerns are typically adolescent: she obsesses about her looks, listens to music, hangs out with her friends, flirts with boys, and explores her sexuality. Her main interaction with the wider culture occurs through music, which constitutes a sort of secular religion for her. Despite her experiments with adulthood and sexuality, Connie is still very much a child: when faced with imminent harm, she cries out for her mother. When Arnold appears at her house, she tries to seem in control and unfazed, but she eventually breaks down and is overpowered by him. In her moments of terror, she proves herself to be childlike: she calls out for her mother.

Arnold Friend, the story’s primary antagonist, is a strange and ambiguous character. Theorized to be a devil and a savior, a very real psychopath and a supernatural being, Arnold Friend’s identity is unclear. While Connie’s character is rooted in her emotions, relationships, and history, Arnold Friend simply appears, without a background. Throughout the story it becomes clear he is not who he pretends to be: he sports a wig, stuffs his boots, and paints his face. More disturbingly, he is a couple decades older than what he claims to be. Arnold Friend is skilled in manipulation, using Connie’s vanity and curiosity to lure her into a conversation where he can assert control over her.

Although we never find out exactly who or what Arnold is, he is the catalyst that changes Connie from a child to an adult—albeit through drastic, violent means.