Motif

In “How I Learned to Drive” the use of a car as a metaphor is a very important theme. With a title like “How I Learned to Drive” it isn’t surprising that this would be so. There are numerous scenes in the play that take place in a car whether Peck is teaching Li’l Bit how to drive or just them sitting together in it. Using a car in these scenes seems to mirror what is happening in the play as a metaphor. Learning to drive is a trial that many young people have to endure and is different for each individual. The experience of how someone learns this will reflect in how they drive. In this story Li’l Bits relationship with her Uncle Peck also influences how she handles herself in dealing with the opposite sex. So explaining in how she learned to drive in this context also explains how she carries herself as a woman because of her experiences. The playscript also uses car analogies to introduce the scenes throughout the play. The different ones used generally foreshadow what will happen in that scene. When it makes a reference to upshifting you can assume that there will be a plot advancement in that scene. It also has references to “the reverse gear”; in that case you can know that the scene will be a jump back in time.

          In every Star Wars movie made there is a use of the phrase “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” The wording is never exactly the same or is it always said in the same tone. It’s used by a number of different characters throughout the entire series. It’s generally used in a situation that is obviously not going to bode well for the protagonist characters. The delivery of the line isn’t generally necessary to let the viewer know that something bad might happen, it just adds to it. The setting and mood of the scene already lets the viewer know that the characters might be in danger. It’s just another tool that the actors use to explain the situation from their characters view.