The story is an allegory symbolizing a typical teenage girl, constantly wanting the approval of boys and men, while completely unaware of the evil of the innocent world she thought she was living in. Connie represents the innocent teenage girl, and Arnold Friend represents the evil in the world.

Being a typical teenage girl, Connie wanted nothing to do with her parents and was leading two personalities: one confined to her house and family; the other for the rest of the world to see. Connie was still a child, obsessing over her looks to catch the attention of boys, and only really liking the idea of them- "But all the boys fell back and dissolved into a single face that was not even a face, but an idea, a feeling, mixed up with the urgent insisted pounding of the music and the humid night air of July" (Oates 363). She never worried about the men who could be lurking, just the appreciation they all had for her. When she saw the older man

Arnold Friend symbolizes all of the deceit and danger that Connie, and most teenage girls, are oblivious to in the world. Arnold is disguising himself to Connie, deceiving her with his looks and his easy-going, promising words. He gives Connie a reason to live a good life and an easy way to seemingly save her family, all the while giving in to exactly what Arnold is looking for. As Connie released herself to Arnold, he said, "My sweet little blue-eyed girl" (Oates 375), showing how Arnold has an imaginative picture of Connie, considering Connie has brown