Symbolism in How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel Essay -- How Learne

Paula Vogel’s play, How I Learned to Drive, artistically tackles the disturbing issue of incestual pedophilia. The play’s protagonist Li’l Bit narrates the action as she goes through her memory of specific events. Much like stream of consciousness, her narration does not lead chronologically to scenes in her past. Rather it jumps back and forth between the present and different points in her life. She tells of her memories of youth and her sexual and emotional relationship with her Uncle Peck. Rather than simply telling about her experiences, though, Li’l Bit shares her memories through vignettes which show the audience her role in the affair within the context of learning to drive (Greene 425). Vogel’s writing exudes symbolism from the first word of the script to the last – from the rise of the curtain to its close. The glimpses into Li’l Bit’s past are sometimes explicitly and literally described, but Vogel also often uses extended metaphors to act as a detailed commentary on the action. Why, however, did the playwright choose symbolism to convey the effects of sexual abuse – as heavy as its subject matter may be – during the late twentieth century when seemingly nothing is censored in America? In order to answer this and better understand the way in which Vogel uses symbolism –in the smaller elements of the play and extended metaphors – the terms must first be defined. Symbolism can be defined as â€Å"the representation of a reality on one level of reference by a corresponding reality on another† (â€Å"Symbolism† 564). The word symbol comes from the Greek word "symballein," which translates literally into â€Å"to throw together† and suggests the combining of two unrelated worlds. Much... .... Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003. 1617-19. Houchin, John H. Censorship of the American Theatre in the Twentieth Century. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2003. â€Å"Metaphor.† Dictionary of World Literature: Criticism - Forms - Technique. Ed. Joseph T. Shipley. New York: Philosophical Library, 1943. 377-8. Pellegrini, Ann. â€Å"The Plays of Paula Vogel.† A Companion to Twentieth-Century American Drama. Ed. David Krasner. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2005. 473-84. Redmond, James, ed. Drama and Symbolism. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 1982. Vol. 4 of Themes in Drama. 1982-1986. 7-10, 37. Savran, David. â€Å"Paula Vogel.† The Playwright’s Voice. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1999. 267-88. â€Å"Symbolism.† Dictionary of World Literature: Criticism - Forms - Technique. Ed. Joseph T. Shipley. New York: Philosophical Library, 1943. 564-9. Symbolism in How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel Essay -- How Learne Paula Vogel’s play, How I Learned to Drive, artistically tackles the disturbing issue of incestual pedophilia. The play’s protagonist Li’l Bit narrates the action as she goes through her memory of specific events. Much like stream of consciousness, her narration does not lead chronologically to scenes in her past. Rather it jumps back and forth between the present and different points in her life. She tells of her memories of youth and her sexual and emotional relationship with her Uncle Peck. Rather than simply telling about her experiences, though, Li’l Bit shares her memories through vignettes which show the audience her role in the affair within the context of learning to drive (Greene 425). Vogel’s writing exudes symbolism from the first word of the script to the last – from the rise of the curtain to its close. The glimpses into Li’l Bit’s past are sometimes explicitly and literally described, but Vogel also often uses extended metaphors to act as a detailed commentary on the action. Why, however, did the playwright choose symbolism to convey the effects of sexual abuse – as heavy as its subject matter may be – during the late twentieth century when seemingly nothing is censored in America? In order to answer this and better understand the way in which Vogel uses symbolism –in the smaller elements of the play and extended metaphors – the terms must first be defined. Symbolism can be defined as â€Å"the representation of a reality on one level of reference by a corresponding reality on another† (â€Å"Symbolism† 564). The word symbol comes from the Greek word "symballein," which translates literally into â€Å"to throw together† and suggests the combining of two unrelated worlds. Much... .... Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003. 1617-19. Houchin, John H. Censorship of the American Theatre in the Twentieth Century. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2003. â€Å"Metaphor.† Dictionary of World Literature: Criticism - Forms - Technique. Ed. Joseph T. Shipley. New York: Philosophical Library, 1943. 377-8. Pellegrini, Ann. â€Å"The Plays of Paula Vogel.† A Companion to Twentieth-Century American Drama. Ed. David Krasner. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2005. 473-84. Redmond, James, ed. Drama and Symbolism. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 1982. Vol. 4 of Themes in Drama. 1982-1986. 7-10, 37. Savran, David. â€Å"Paula Vogel.† The Playwright’s Voice. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1999. 267-88. â€Å"Symbolism.† Dictionary of World Literature: Criticism - Forms - Technique. Ed. Joseph T. Shipley. New York: Philosophical Library, 1943. 564-9.