Introduction
Literature is one of the important kinds of art, causing a strong impact on people and making them think about certain things. It also helps writers to convey their messages and speak about problems that are topical for them. At the same time, as against other arts, literature does not offer physical or visible images; instead, it uses the text to trigger readers’ imagination and create specific pictures in their brains. It explains the unique strengths of stories as every individual finds something unique for themselves and views a phenomenon or aspect introduced by the writer from a certain perspective.
At the same time, the story’s ability to boost imagination depends on the use of various mediums, such as a description of places, characters, their clothing, and the surrounding world. Movies, as a type of art combining the textual and visual aspects, acquire the chance to visualize these elements with a focus on some most important ones. Thus, in the play “How I learned to Drive,” the author, Paula Vogel, gives much attention to driving, meaning it is an important symbol helping to represent themes of the story.
Play’s Summary
Vogel narrates the story created by her in an unusual way. The plot revolves around a woman named Li’l Bit, who drives a car and has a series of flashbacks. She remembers her first driving lessons with Uncle Peck, her dinners with family, which were challenging for her because of inappropriate jokes about her body and its sexualization, and the complex relations with her uncle, who tried to seduce her (Vogel 33). Li’l Bit remembers all these events driving her car; she moves from one scene to another, which is also linked to her driving. The story represents the heroine’s path to become educated, her struggle, sexual harassment, and abuse she experienced, and ends with Li’l Bit’s readiness to move forward, leaving her past life behind. The play touches upon numerous complex issues, such as sexual relations, abuse, the transition to adulthood, and the ability to cope with trauma.
Metaphor
The complexity of issues discussed by the author requires using strong devices to convey the mood of the story and the author’s central message. For this reason, Vogel uses the idea of Li’l Bit driving her car as the central line of the whole story. This setting is essential as it helps the author to return to the critical events in the life of the main character and discuss them from various perspectives. At the same time, the central metaphor, or driving, helps to link various pieces of the story and create a story with a specific meaning. The radio Li’L Bit tunes, the car, its details, and various speeds contribute to a better understanding of the main themes and their importance. For this reason, the ability to focus on some aspects of the setting is vital for the enhanced understanding of the major themes and how they should be discussed.
In such a way, the story’s set is represented by several elements, while driving can be viewed as one of the central mediums emphasized by the author because of its symbolic and metaphorical meaning. It is a metaphor standing for Li’l Bit’s development and growth, her evolution in automotive mastery and sexual life (Dolan 127). It also metaphorically shows her traveling back and forth in time to cogitate about her life, past events, and the future. Moreover, symbolically, the road she drives can be viewed as the road of her life, with its problems, or various gears, breaks, and accidents (Dolan 127).
Uncle Peck’s lessons taught the main character much about gender relations and sexuality, as well as about the use of gearshifts and mirrors (Dolan 127). For this reason, representing this road and creating its clear image is vital for understanding the play, its themes, and why Vogel builds the story around Li’l Bit driving her car and thinking about the events that happened to her.
From the cinematic perspective, driving is one of the potent tools that might be used to show moods and the motif of the whole story. The differences in styles, speed, music, and sceneries create a certain image in viewers’ minds and help them to understand the creator’s message. The same idea is applicable to the play by Vogel, as Li’l Bit’s drive can be represented in different ways to emphasize its symbolic meanings and its importance for the whole story. For instance, the main character’s youthful innocence, seen in her flashbacks, introduces questions about how victims might look and act (Smalec 590).
It can be supported by the changes in how Li’l Bit drives the car when remembering this episode of her life. In such a way, the car, and the driving itself, can respond to the slightest changes in the main character’s moods and emotions to help viewers and become more involved and feel the strongest emotions.
Driving, Gears and the Life Journey
The metaphorical importance of driving can be seen in Vogel’s constant mentionings of gears or other aspects essential for drivers. For instance, the author introduces specific remarks, such as “Idling in the Neutral Gear,” to show the importance of this process for the development of the whole story (Vogel 20). As far as it is presented as the set of flashbacks, these titles might help to understand the importance of the text that will be presented and its mood. Thus, in the beginning, Vogel sets a scene “In most families, relatives get names like “Junior,” or “Brother,” or “Bubba.” In my family, if we call someone “Big Papa,” it’s not because he’s tall.” (20). It is associated with the neutral gear or, metaphorically, neutral mood or importance. Visually, it can be represented as Li’l Bit slowly driving her car, thinking about her past. It will help to convey the mood and atmosphere of the story better.
The story continues, and the author introduces new flashbacks with different emotions and importance. At the same time, Vogel introduces subheadings, such as “Driving in First Gear,” and comments, such as “A typical family dinner” (20). As far as the speed in first gear is low, the reader does not expect the fast evolution of the story in this part, which is true. Li’l Bit recalls her past and cogitates about the strange nature of relations in her family and how it impacts her life. In such a way, the manner of driving can be associated with the level of tension in the play and the main character’s mood. For cinema, it means that various styles of driving and speed can frame different flashbacks. It will create a potent and emotional image and help to feel with the heroin.
Following the same pattern, the change of gears can help viewers or readers understand that the story continues or acquires new details of emotions. For instance, the title “Shifting Forward from First to Second Gear” introduces a short paragraph describing Li’l Bit’s remembrances about why she was kicked out of the fancy school (Vogel 25).
The change in gears means a change in speed, which also means that the story continues to evolve and additional and significant details are presented. For this reason, the focus on changing gear with the corresponding movements might symbolize the development of the plot, shift to another mood, and the new speed of driving. It is also vital for understanding the story’s plot and overall atmosphere. Driving remains a critical element of the setting, and the metaphor helping to show the main character’s storyline and create specific links with her.
Moreover, the story narrated by Vogel is full of flashbacks. The narrative is nonlinear, the same as her relations with Uncle Peck and the rest of her relatives (Dolan 127). The driving process is also not homogenous, as there are many periods of acceleration, slowing, or pauses. To strengthen the metaphor, Vogel introduces parts with the headings such as “You and the Reverse Gear” (26). It is followed by short sentences describing a new scene in the past “Back up. 1968. On the Eastern Shore. A celebration dinner” (Vogel 26). It means that same as the car moves back, the character might also return to her past memories and her original trauma that was not recognized as potentially traumatizing at that moment (Herren 105). For this reason, metaphorically, it can be viewed as driving a car using reverse gear and thinking about the past.
At the same time, the most traumatizing and important events remembered by the main character are also discussed by using the metaphor of driving. For instance, Vogel uses the heading “Vehicle Failure,” supporting it with the explanation that “it is too common for us to experience an unexpected breakdown” (32). From the title and explanation, the reader realizes that the author comes to some dramatic event. The trauma experienced by characters creates striking affinities with the theatrical performance and is vital for readers’ understanding (Herren 105). Vogel shows that Li’l Bit realizes the corrupted nature of her relations with Uncle Peck “What we’re doing. It’s wrong. It’s very wrong” (33).
For this reason, it becomes one of the traumatic memories that can be compared with the car’s failure and inability to continue driving, which symbolizes life’s journey. In such a way, readers and viewers should realize that inability to process these memories is the same as a failure and leads to the inability to continue living.
Finally, the author ends the driving metaphor with modern scenes. The heading “Driving in Today’s World” shows that Li’l Bit has already stopped thinking about her past life and moving from one episode, characterized by a particular emotion, to another (Vogel 76). Li’l Bit says, “I find myself believing in things that a younger self vowed never to believe in. Things like family and forgiveness.” (Vogel 76). She ends her story by adjusting the rearview mirror and seeing the spirit of Uncle Peck sitting in the back seat. With a smile, she floors the gas and moves forward with no more flashbacks or thoughts of the past. It means that her senseless riding over the town is over. Symbolically, it means that Li’l Bit’s suffering is also over as she accepted her memories, processed them, and left them behind, moving into a happy future.
In such a way, driving becomes one of the most important elements in the play. From a cinematic perspective, adapting the play, it is vital to focus on the car, changes in speed, and how the main character switches gears. Emotional flashbacks should be supported by the acceleration and fast-changing scenery to convey the mood and make viewers sympathize with the heroin. The close-up shots of the transmission lever, movements from the first gear to the second one, and back to the idle or reverse, should be shown in detail, as the way these actions are made, the nervousness of the actress or, on the contrary, her calmness, and, finally, readiness to move forward, are vital for understanding the play and the symbolic meaning of setting.
Conclusion
Altogether, “How I Learned to Drive” by Paula Vogel is a play that touches upon critical issues such as a child’s transition to adulthood, sexual harassment, and dealing with trauma. Speaking about the complex issues, the author selects an unusual metaphor as she introduces driving that symbolizes Li’l Bit’s life journey. For this reason, this medium is vital for understanding the mood and atmosphere of the play. Focusing on how the car driven by the heroine moves and how she switches gears, it is possible to show the development of the story, the main character’s feelings and emotions, and, finally, the culmination of her journey, acceptance of past traumas, and acquisition of freedom. The final ride with the floored gas can be a perfect end for the story and Li’l Bit’s suffering.
Works Cited
Dolan, Jill. “How I Learned to Drive Paula Vogel.” Theatre Journal, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 127–128. JSTOR. Web.
Herren, Graley. “Narrating, Witnessing, and Healing Trauma in Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive.” Modern Drama, vol. 53, no 1, 2010, pp. 103–114. EBSCOhost. Web.
Smalec, Theresa. “How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel Kate Whoriskey.” Theatre Journal, vol. 64, no. 4, 2012, pp. 589–590. JSTOR. Web.
Vogel, Paula. How I Learned to Drive (Stand-Alone TCG Edition). Theatre Communications Group, 2018.