Does Connie's behavior or appearance in any way distract or diminish the fact that she is the victim in the story? Do you believe that Connie is to blame for what happened to her?

Connie, the story’s young protagonist, navigates adolescence by adopting two personas: one for her home life and another, more sexualized and polished, for her public life. Her life is defined by her relationship to boys or men; romance fills her thoughts and her reunions with other girls are simply a pretext for approaching boys. Reflecting the sexualized culture she finds herself in, Connie prizes beauty above all. This, however, cannot distract from what happened to her. Connie is being threatened and forced to go with an intruder to her home. There is the definite subtext that she will be harmed and likely raped. There is never any excuse for rape and abuse. If Connie does not want the man to be there, he must leave. It does not matter what Connie did or said before the point she does not want him there.