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Metaphors In How I Learned To Drive

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In the plays, The Importance of Being Earnest and How I Learned To Drive, the ongoing use of metaphors aids in the development of the plot line and ¬the readers understanding of the characters. There are many examples of metaphors used in both these plays; however, some have more significance than others. In The Importance of Being Earnest, the metaphor of a double life provides insight to pretending to be someone you are not. In How I Learned To Drive, learning to drive delivers a metaphor for sex and the growing up of Li’l Bit. In both plays the characters are leading lives that are not truly their own. They are hiding away inside their own skin due to them being afraid of who they really are. Throughout the course of The Importance of Being …show more content…

Throughout the course of this play, the main character Li’l Bit is growing up and learning things about herself as well as experiencing many situations with her family. She learns plenty about her uncle Peck while he teaches her how to drive a car. With each stage of learning to drive, she is older and has experienced more things in life. Many of these include emotional and physical abuse initiated by and forced on her by her uncle Peck. Throughout this play, Uncle Peck is a pedophile always trying to get Li’l Bit to perform sexual acts with him. He takes things so far that one time while she is learning to drive, he puts his hands up her shirt and touches her inappropriately. As the audience is watching Li’l Bit grow up, they also see how her life is so much different from other people of her same age. The dynamics in her family is unlike what people would normally consider a stable, functional household. The family is constantly making fun of her. They pick on her about the size of her breasts and make her seem as though she is alienated from them because of something that is out of her control. While living this life, which could be considered a lie, she seems to develop an attachment to the other life she is living. Due to her only knowing and understanding this lifestyle, she never tries to put a stop to it or the actions taking place. As stated in the stage directions “[Li’l Bit] relaxes against him, silent, accepting his touch” (Vogel 2217) Another reason as to why Li’l Bit does not fight against what is happening to her is because she is worried about and cares for her Uncle Peck. She feels guilty and remorseful for what is happening because of her aunt, but she has no way of stopping it and part of her is unsure if she even should. He was there for her through everything and had been more a part of her life than the rest of her family combined. She wonders what

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