Chat discussion exploring a subject

Figure. Screenshot of a class’s chat room. Instructor prompt: Who is Arnold Friend? At one point during the story Arnold Friend demands, “Don’t you know who I am? Who do you think he is? Does the reader or Connie ever really know?” A series of student responses to the prompt: Student 1, Zoe: Everything about Arnold is weird, like his sunglasses and the way he talks. Connie has never seen him before but he knows all about her. He doesn’t seem human. Student 2 Conner: I think we’re not supposed to know who Arnold Friend is. When he first arrives at Connie’s house she asks him, &ldquoWho the hell do you think you are?” but Arnold ignores her question by changing the subject. He never tells her who he really is, only that he’s her friend and her lover. Student 3, Mirabel: Connie is always pretending to be somebody else with her friends, her boyfriends, and her family. Oates describes her as having two sides: one for home and one for when she is away from home. Pretending is something Connie and Arnold have in common. Student 4, Damon: I found a lot of parallels between Arnold and the wolf in “Little Red Riding Hood.” For example, Connie notices Arnold’s hair, his teeth, and his grin. It reminded me of that part in “Little Red Riding Hood” when Little Red says, “Oh Grandmother, what big teeth you have!”. Student 5, Yuko: I was thinking the same thing. Plus, Arnold seems like he’s dressing up to hide who he is. Connie thinks that his hair is like a wig, and later that his face is a mask. It reminded me of when the wolf puts on the grandmother’s clothing to trick Little Red Riding Hood, just like Arnold is trying to trick Connie.