Wednesday, March 31, 2010
"Driver's Education" by Paula Whyman-TW T/F P.4
This forum is for specific discussion on "Driver's Education" by Paula Whyman. What are your first reactions? What did you like most about the short story and/or the collection of short stories? Also what question(s) do you have about the "Driver's Education"? Students should try their best to answer each other’s questions. See Blog Assignment for additional information!
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One of the first reactions from the short story “Driver’s Education” by Paula Whyman came from the first paragraph. The first paragraph stated that the basement where the driver’s education was being held class reminded the author of a place where a murderer would keep his victims in a horror movie. This paragraph appeared to be foreshadowing the rest of the story, and therefore it is safe to assume that the rest of the story will involve something sinister. This prediction becomes proven correct when, later in the story, Todd and his friends turn out to be racists and Todd gets into a fight with Mr. White, his driving instructor. There were two main things that were appealing about this short story. The first one is that the people in the story were high school students. This attribute made the characters easier to connect with and as a result made “Driver’s Education” more enjoyable to read. The second appealing trait about this short story is that the author is very honest and descriptive in her writing. She does not even withhold the information about her faults, such as how she went to the camping tent with Todd while Kevin was away. This is important because it is a significant part of the story; however she could have easily kept that a secret for her whole life. An example of her being descriptive is when she mentioned how she got sweaty when she first saw Kevin and then when she saw Todd working out. Which again is embarrassing and it is something that she chose to share because it adds to the story
My first reaction of this short story was great, interesting, and also intriguing. Also, I didn’t recognize the irony that was in the story till I got back from school. Adding on to that, it helped me understand the context of the story more and helped me appreciate the story even more. Overall, it was a fun and informal read for me. Following this further, it showed me what can go on in the teenage world these days that I am not aware of. Although there were some boring parts to the story, there were also many things I liked in “Driver’s Education”. Additionally, there were two scenes that stood out to me: When Todd tried to hit on her and when Todd had fought Mr. White. The scene where Todd fought Mr. White was the most interesting to me because Mr. White, who is a war veteran, has a prosthetic leg and the fact that Todd was pretty pumped and masculine. Consequently, Todd had lost the battle because of Mr. White’s fighting skills. It was a very interesting fight for Todd, who was a so called redneck, because he had been wielding a baseball bat and hated black people. Moving on, there are some questions that I have in store about the short passage. Who was the person staring at her in the mall at the end of the story? Why did she also keep making excuses to go on a date with Kevin? Lastly, did she ever pass the driver’s education test?
My first reaction to the story “Driver’s Education” in Writes of Passage by Paula Whyman was that it was a strange story. To me, everything except the illegal u-turn and the driving lessons did not fit under the title, but Ms. Whyman may have been trying to make a point about education in the sense that the narrator was learning about boys, in this case it was Kevin and Todd. For Kevin, is the part where he talks about his parents being divorced significant? Like the fact that she ends up divorced in the end? In addition, Ms. Whyman talked about the anger between Todd and Mr. White, which was, according to Kevin, because of skin colors. This also did not seem to fit with learning about how to drive, but it may have just been showing what life was like where they lived, and reflecting the problems of today’s world. What do other people think about Mr. White’s injured leg? I feel like it might be a way of saying war can maim and change you for life. I think that if you stretched the meanings in the story, you could say they all fit under the title but most of the time it seems like little bits of life put together in a driver’s education class.
What I liked about the story is how the story came together in the end with the narrator coming back at the end to the department store where the classes used to be. It seemed like she was reflecting on her times and how much she learned, but in reality she did not learn that much, for she made an illegal u-turn and kept looking for guys. That seems like irony to me, so that could also be a moral of the story – that you never fully change, but you have some parts of you that will be with you forever.
“Driver’s Education” from the book Writes of Passage is a short story by Paula Whyman about growing up. When I read the short story, my first reaction is that the narrator is very unsure of what she wants. I believe this because on one hand, she says that Kevin, a blond, “California-surfer boy,” is an ideal boyfriend for her. On the other hand, she later “fools around” with Todd, a huge, burly smoker, even though she and Kevin are dating. Although she says that “fooling around” with Todd does not mean anything, she still kisses him, and is affected by this throughout the rest of the story. In addition, this evidence proves that she is very fickle: first she has feelings for Kevin, later she has feelings for Todd and Kevin, and then she is not interested in either of them. I also find it shocking that the boys who “sat in the back of the class” are so racist (95). If Mr. White was in the Vietnam War, which lasted until 1975, then this story must take place approximately fifteen years(96-97). Therefore, it is very surprising to me that the young adults could be so rude towards Mr. White, and call him discriminating names.
This short story reminds me of a book I read called New Moon, by Stephanie Meyer. In this book, Bella, the main character, is very indecisive because she must choose between two very different boys, just like in “Driver’s Education.” She messes around with one, called Jacob, while still having feelings for the other, named Edward, which is also similar to the short story. Moreover, the boys do not like each other’s qualities, just like Kevin and Todd do not particularly like each other. Edward’s sister is also prejudice and calls other people discriminating names, just like one of Todd’s friends. Although I am able to make these connections, I still have several questions. Firstly, is this story a memoir, or is it fictional? I am also wondering, since the book is a collection of stories about growing up, how did this experience help the narrator come-of-age? Furthermore, is Mr. White’s leg part of the reason Todd and his friends treat Mr. White poorly? Is the man who calls out “babe” at the end of the story Todd?
I think “Driver’s Education” is a very interesting short-story, and is a story which I continue to ponder even now. One part of the book which I find very interesting and unusual is the narrator’s thoughts about divorce. She says that she admires the cool kids’ “stoic worldliness,” and she has imagined what it would be like if her parents got a divorce, and concludes that she would rather have no family like Jane Eyre (97). This shows that the narrator wants more experience in life, even if it means having to live all alone. I find this striking because it is quite drastic to wish to have no family in order to be more knowledgeable about the mystery of life, especially when you are only fifteen, and you have your whole life ahead of you. One of the parts that I like the most was how each day she tries on a different eye shadow, as if even if everything else changes, that eye-shadow in the department store stays the same; it is her constant. Overall, the story shows that you never forget the people who make an impact on your life, no matter if the effect is positive or negative.
Paula Whyman’s “Driver’s Education” from Writes of Passage was a captivating story about the simple subject of Driver’s Ed, but filled with intrigue, lust, racism, and the simple truths of coming of age. Whyman’s story was about a Driver’s Ed class where she met the perfect boy, Kevin, the not-so-perfect boy, Todd, his not-so-perfect friends, and a slightly sketchy situation dealing with her Driver’s Ed teacher and Todd. My first impressions of Whyman’s tale were, “what in the world is she doing with that Todd? He is absolutely so wrong in so many ways: he is racist, a jerk, and especially since she has Kevin, what is the dilemma?” However, as I read, and reread her story, I realized that it was more than a grossly twisted story with an ironic illegal U-turn, but on a deeper level, it was a smaller portion of trying to fit into your own skin, and blindly stumbling along the way. Whyman’s story, although a personal memory, is representative of the struggles of growing up and determining one’s own ideas, whether it be through the negative experience of racism, meeting the perfect and not-so-perfect guys, coming of age and what we do during that time period determine whether or not we will end up divorced, successful women, or the women who litter the street and are eventually are left by men like Todd. So although Whyman’s story is slightly outlandish to most of our experiences, it is relatable, on some level, to every teenage person who is not quite comfortable in his or her own body. Throughout her story, Whyman introduces ideas that no matter who is involved you have to know what is right, do what is right, and be around people who are right, and that, truly, when you are coming of age, there is no margin for the wrong.
“Driver’s Education” by Paula Whyman is a very surprising story to say the least. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Looking at the title, I assumed this was going to be a tale about a girl learning to drive. And while driving lessons are incorporated into the story, I was shocked to be reading about more than a driver’s ed class. In just twelve and a half pages, Whyman takes us through an experience that offered her a lifetime of memories; this is one thing I liked about the story. The encounter with a man who reminded her of Todd and the illegal u-turn at the end were also enjoyable parts of the story. After reading the narrative, I immediately thought about how good the writing is. Whyman’s writing style does an exceptional job of relaying the story. Instead of just dryly stating the facts, she engages the reader through simple yet catchy language and questions. For example, when thinking about what kind of girl she was, a “Todd- kind- of- girl” or a “Kevin- kind- of- girl”, Whyman asks, “Why did I feel like I had to choose?” Did anyone else have to?” Whyman also offers her thoughts, which I appreciate. For example, at one point she mentions that she felt Todd was behaving similarly to a salmon swimming upstream.
With that said, I have two questions. On page ninety-seven, Whyman makes a reference to Jane Eyre, who is she? My second question is if Todd hadn’t planned on fighting Mr. White, why was he standing in the elevator with a baseball bat? “Driver’s Education” was a nice story. I appreciate Whyman sharing this experience with us.
“Driver’s Education” by Paula Whyman in the book Writes of Passage was one of the most amazing short stories that I have ever read. The opening of the story had me hooked with its avid descriptiveness of the main character’s thoughts and surroundings. I also was interested with how the author gave away information in the story. The story stayed understandable even though I had to read halfway through the story to find out things like the main character’s age and the time period of the story. Furthermore, I am extremely impressed with Whyman’s connections between her storyline and her chosen setting. The two fit together like puzzle pieces, even though the main character’s mindset could have easily fit into the mindset of a fifteen year old today. Even more important, her rapidly changing mind kept her from seeing the actual events happening in front of her. For example, she was so enamored with Todd since their encounter inside the tent, that she forced herself ignorant of his crude racism—if it was racism. That leads me to some questions about the scene where Todd and Mr. White fight: Is Todd racist or misunderstood? Is the main character ignorant or understanding? I felt confused about the whole scene because the main character said she still had doubts about Todd being racist; I went back through the scene and read it over about three times and came up with an answer that fit both of my questions—I found that it depends on my interpretation of the reading. I came up with two solutions: either one, the main character was too fixated on Todd to realize his actual personality, or two, the main character really found another side to this guy. I am relying on my first theory because the rest of this story convinced me that the main character’s mind is easily persuaded and changed by the ways of her imagination and deep thought.
Paula Whyman’s superb talent for manipulating tone through language was my initial reaction of the short story “Driver’s Education in the book Writes of Passage I was so real reading about the driving school; it was incredibly easy to relate to. She talks about how she gets sweaty when a boy comes around, about her fear of the boys sitting behind her, her initial obsession with the “blond surfer boy”, and all of a sudden, you stop reading the story and you start living it. This honest, to the point of shockingly so, style of writing is extremely refreshing and allows Whyman to use several literary devices while still coming of as a simple “stream of conscience” type of writing. The themes that appear throughout the book are also incredibly difficult to confront without a change in tone from child-like to adult; however, Whyman manages it. One of these is a coming of age story within a story, which deals with the issues of masculinity. This is Todd’s confrontation of Mr. White, and the age old discrepancy of age and skill versus youth and raw talent. I greatly enjoyed Whyman’s use of fluctuating sentence length; for example, when trying to portray a tone of horror and imitate the style of horror music, she structures her sentences in a diminutive fashion, like when she says “One. Floor. Below.” Do you think that Whyman is conveying any underlying messages through her use of diction? Do you agree with any messages that you find? The story ends with irony: do you think that this is just for the sake of humor, or are their other reasons the author could have ended her story this way?
My first reaction to “Driver’s Education” by Paul Whyman was awe of the twist with Mr. White and Todd. When you first begin the story, and the narrator gives descriptions of the characters, you know that Todd will be a problematic character. The description of Todd, “…he was tall and broad, bigger than all the other boys, so he filled the doorway when he walked in (95)”. When you think of broad and bigger guys, the first thing that comes to mind are bullies. This showed that he was a person who, most likely, gets what they want, and if you don’t give in, they will still find a way to get what they want. The description of Mr. White is of a person who would not be very strong at the moment because of his prosthetic leg. He is strong mentally, but you would not think of him as strong physically. These descriptions of the characters made it a surprising twist when Mr. White and Todd fought. At the beginning of the fight, you would think that by Todd’s strength, size, and choice of weapon, and Mr. White’s leg and oldness, Todd would win. It was surprising win Mr. White, with his oldness and leg, was able to win the fight. This was a twist in events of things unexpected to happen. Mr. White was a man who had the surprising sense of strength in the fight, he was able to fight and win the fight between Todd, giving Todd a broken nose. A surprising twist to the end with the strength of Mr. White.
Lombeh’s first reaction to the short story “Driver’s Education” was that is driver’s education really that boring? Lombeh always have been excited to actually take driver’s education because she really wants to drive and also be safe while driving. Her best friend takes driver’s education and she told Lombeh that it was not as excited as she wants it to be. Knowing that just makes Lombeh not want to take driver’s education because she does not want to be bored but she knows that she needs it. What Lombeh most like most about this short story, is that it is talking about teenagers like her. This story allowed her to put her shoes in those student’s shoes as if it were her. Lombeh also got to experience what some teenagers go through while in that class. It is not as excited but it really helps in the future. Lombeh does not have any questions but she was wondering about the ending of the story. She did not like the ending of the story because she believes it should have been more to it. It left her wanting the story to continue to see if it were Todd that had called her “babe”.
“Driver’s Education” is one of the short stories in the book Writes of Passage. The author, Paula Whyman, writes about an experience she had when she was young and in a driver's education class. When I read the story the first time, I did not fully understand how everything that she had written could fit under one title, or theme, “Driver’s Education”. For instance, everything that happened between Ms. Whyman and Kevin, and Ms. Whyman and Todd seemed to be more about the social aspect of being a teenager, rather than a young girl learning how to drive. And the racial differences between Mr. White, the driver’s education teacher, and Kevin, a teen who smoked. However, after reading the story again I understood that all of this could happen, just by a going to a class. The fact that Ms. Whyman had a relationship with one of her classmates shows how teenage life really is. The subtitle of Writes of Passage is “Coming-of-age Stories and Memoirs from the Hudson Review.” I suppose that relationships, and driving are both a part of ones “coming-of-age.” My favorite part of the short story is on page 101, when they are talking about right-turns on red, pedestrians, and the idea that “Good judgment is innate.” I think that the humor at the end of the section, by Todd who asks “who is Nate?” , lightens the mood of the story. Though I had a better understanding of the story after re-reading it, a few questions still remain. Was it Todd who said babe at the end of the story? What year did it happen?
The first reaction of“ Driver’s Education” in Writes of Passage by Paula Whyman came when the setting of the driver education class was set in the basement of a creepy department store. It was almost a random or ironic choice, because the goal stated in the first part of the story, was to serve a larger community of students, but that dark, scary, and unappealing basement, as the character claims, would not necessarily appeal to teenager’s tastes. However, the unique choice of setting defiantly grips readers’ attention right at the start of the story. Many characteristics of the short story were fascinating, such as the narrations of the story. They did not tell you a lot, but just the right amount of narration to leave you with a mysterious feel makes you keep reading. For example, in certain dialogues between Kevin and the girl, questions and answers were asked and answered vaguely as if you have to keep reading to make various connections from conversation to conversation to get the whole message. It was very down to earth and showed important details in a teenager’s life. Most stories I have read protect the innocent or do not show the intimate sides of young teenagers. I thought there was an unusual, but very special connection of the love triangle to the driver education class. It was just interesting how the fact that a driver education class sparked some intimacy and a fling between two and later three people. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this story and was inspired to read more by Paula Whyman.
The short story “Drivers Education” in the book Writes of Passage caught me off guard due to the main character’s choices. I could not relate to the story, however I was fascinated by the conflict and tension of the character’s relationships. When Todd and the driving instructor, Mr. White, fight, it was interesting to not only see the races clash, but to also observe Mr. White’s ability to protect himself even though he is physically handicapped. The relationships the main character has with Todd and Kevin Thorpe create a suspenseful atmosphere. Since the main character had an intimate relationship with both people it is compelling that no one discovered that both boys get the stomach flu the day after she kisses them. However, I was unable to understand why and how the main character handled certain situations. First, why did the main character fail to stop the altercation? She instead reminiscent graphically about the time she spent with Todd. Why would the main character react so passionately about what appeared to be a casual relationship? Finally, what is the story’s setting?
My first thought when hearing about “Driver’s Education” in the book Writes of Passage written by Paula Whyman, was that it would be another boring coming- of- age story like all the others. When I read the title “Driver’s Education,” my first thought was that the story would be about teens learning to drive. I soon found I was wrong because after reading the first few pages, I realized there was much more to this story. It is easy for me to read to because it is a story I can relate to about high school kids and I am in high school experiencing some of the same things the characters in the book are. This made the story more interesting for me and it left me wanting to read more. The main character is choosing between whether to choose Todd or Kevin. On page 100, after kissing Kevin in the tent camper and walking out with his arm around her, she sees Todd and begins to sweat. She says “I realized I was an animal.” Did she say this because she realizes that “fooling around” with both boys is wrong and she should ultimately choose one guy or is there another reason? If this is true, why would she continue to do so? Another thought that I had was that after she and Kevin watched the fight between Todd and Mr. White, they wondered if they still had to take the test. Kevin said “Maybe they’ll pass us all because of emotional trauma.” (106) In the end of the story after all her high school experiences and divorce, she pulled an illegal U- turn. This was irony but it also could have been connected to the thought of trauma messing up her thoughts. I like how Paula Whyman is still able to incorporate some driving terms and lessons in between all the drama between her, Todd, Kevin, and Mr. White, all relating back to the title “Driver’s Education”.
In the short story “Driver’s Education” by Paula Whyman, many different aspects of teen life were depicted. When I first began reading the story, I did not know what to think. I knew that the story was very interesting; I just was not sure if what I was reading was real. The fact that the events in the story actually can occur in a teen’s life motivated me to continue. Firstly, the fact that the story was entitled “Driver’s Education” intrigued me because it all was not about driving lessons, but instead about the kinds of people that can come into your life. To me, the different attitudes and personalities of the people in the story become relevant to any teen getting into something new. Secondly, I enjoyed the theme of irony throughout the entire story. For example, the cases of stomach flu, when the mannequin was missing a leg, and the illegal U-turn at the end of the story brought humor and lightness to the short story. Ever since I finished the story, I keep referring to it because every time I look at it, I understand it a little better each time. This story showed me that “Driver’s Education” is a lot like a normal classroom. In a normal classroom, you have star pupils and those who disrupt. By the end of the story, I had already made connections with my life and was glad that I had read this story. Overall, I really liked this story because it shined a bright light on what goes on in a teen’s life and mind.
The short story, “Driver’s Education” by Paula Whyman in the book Writes of Passage has been, by far, the most vividly detailed, yet captivating story. Before reading the story, I tried predicting what the book would be about based on the title; I thought it would be about lessons of driving, which really bored me. On the contrary, as I began reading, I saw that the book was able to grab my attention and I was able to relate to it, since teens today go through very similar situations, as mentioned in the book. For example, Whyman says, “He was my ideal: blond curly hair, blue eyes, golden tan… (95)”, everyone in their head has an idea or some type of preference of their perfect guy or girl. Moreover, I also noticed that the book not only covered different scenarios in a teen’s life, but the language many to all use. In addition, I liked many things of the story, I especially like the vividly details given at every scenario. For instance, the first paragraph in the story mentions how eerie the basement was, as she depicts, “the grey tub filled with naked mannequins… (95)” and, “Todd was there, lying on a weight bench and pumping iron, clenching an unlit cigarette between his teeth (100)”. Additionally, I also like how Paula Whyman was straightforward: with the language, scenarios and actions: she didn’t go in circles. However, as well as liking the short story, I had many questions. First, if the title of the story was “Driver’s Education”, then why is the main focus on teen relationships and hormones? Secondly, the main character was very indecisive, she was unsure of whom she liked, Kevin, her ideal “hottie”, or Todd, a bad boy, did she ever determine who she liked? Furthermore, what did the ending, “I walked out onto the mall past some guys who were hunched back over their cigarettes… (107)”, have to do with any of the story? Overall, I enjoyed reading the story because it was so well written, vividly detailed and it grabbed my attention, and Paula Whyman’s syntax.
Paula Whyman’s “Driver’s Education” presented a story entirely unexpected. From the title of the short story, from the title of the book, from the cover art of the book, nothing prepared me for the brutally honest representation of life. The setting of the story isn’t immediately clear, though context placed it in a rural, all-American town in the middle of some land-locked conservative state; however, Kevin’s father’s ’79 Caprice dates it to sometime during the 80s. The story presents an ordinary circumstance – driver’s education – dropping extraordinary situations in – a student attacking a teacher, a Vietnam vet with a plastic leg. This juxtaposition only highlights the youth, and by extension inexperience, of the students just learning to drive. The story sets up contrasting ideas, and it questions whether our perceptions of these things are fair or objective. The girl who tells the story and remains unnamed throughout reflects on how unable she is to identify with her teacher’s experiences in Vietnam as she’s never been in war and never had her leg blown off. Yet, in being unable to identify, she associates his experience with something closer to home: a movie. This association is something we all do to better understand things otherwise foreign to us. It’s from this that we establish perspective concerning such situations. In her short story, Paula Whyman best reflected on the superficiality of certain perspectives or views in society. She allows her character, this young teenage girl just learning to drive, to try to better understand her teachers experience by placing it next to Raiders of the Lost Arc, or some classic war movie. Are our perceptions right? This girl understands that more often than not they aren’t. Ironically, her understanding of this makes her seem all the more mature and experience. This story takes Driver’s education, learning to drive, a rather ordinary, simple act done every day, and shows how it’s those little moments where we learn most. It’s those ordinary, simple moments where we begin to understand things. This unnamed girl never goes to war, as we realize in the end of the story, yet, he is a little more able to understand her teacher through sympathy and through association. My only question is: is this unnamed main character really Paula or is it some fictional character – or perhaps a mixture of the two?
In “Driver’s Education” in Writes of Passage, Paula Whyman takes us into the life of a teenage girl going to driving school. The story reads like a journal, with play-by-play accounts of the action in the driver’s education class. The emotions that the narrator describes appear in our every day life, from crushes to confusion to shock. In the beginning of the story, the narrator is taken with Kevin Thorpe, a “California surfer-boy, far from home,” who she starts to date later. Their relationship is the typical high school fling, nothing too serious. As the narrative progresses, you learn of her almost sub-conscious infatuation for Todd, a smoking slacker who also attends their class, and the opposite of Kevin. Why do you think that she’s interested in Todd? One class, Kevin is out sick and during their break; she and Todd “fool around” in a camper in the sporting goods section of the mall where the class is held. How do you think this affected her? Do you think that she ultimately chose one boy over the other? When Kevin comes back, she doesn’t mention what happened during the session he missed, and it becomes hard for her to differentiate the Todd she thinks she knows and the Todd that Kevin labels him as. Todd proves to be what Kevin thought, a racist “grit,” and gets into a fight with the driver’s education instructor because of his race. The narrator and Kevin witness the fight and in shock, don’t react until it has concluded. Why do you think that is? Would you react any differently? When the class ends, she breaks it off with Kevin and ends up moving away. When she visits later, she’s struck by how some things in life, like the mall, can change a lot and how some others, like people, don’t really change at all. This story was easy to compare to the world, with simple things like driving, and more complex things like finding out who you are when it comes to relationships and responsibility. Whyman incorporates all of these things into one short and interesting story, written in a highly comprehensible way.
In the short story “Drivers Education” in the book Writes of Passage, the author Paula Whyman starts the story off very suspicious, the way she talks about the basement of the department store reminding her of a “slasher movie.”(95) When author did this I thought the story was uninviting, but as I continued to read the story became interesting enough to keep reading. One the parts that I enjoyed the most were when she described her driver’s education teacher and her imagination about what happened to his leg. For example, “and right when he realizes he’s the only one left, right when he reaches for his gun, a shot comes from nowhere, then another, tearing open his knee.”(97) I also liked the way she incorporated the two boys she was interested in, Kevin and Todd. This made it seem like the class would have been less interesting if they were not incorporated some way. For example, “Week four, during break, Kevin kissed me inside the tent camper that was on display in the sporting goods.” By the author adding them into the story it made me think, was the part of the story really about the interest in the boys, because she seemed to go into great detail about what went on during the breaks of class? Within this book you could see the relation to the world in many different ways, like racism, illegal turns, as well as uncertain romances. Examples in the book would be, “They took their time leaving so they could smoke and flick their ashes on the floor. One of them muttered “Fuckin’ nigger,” on his way out, loud enough for everyone to hear.”(104) “I was driving back from the lawyer’s office, George Thorogood howling to the oldies station, when I passed the store and pulled an illegal U-turn into the lot.”(106) “Was Todd right about me? Was I a Todd- kind- of- girl or was I a Kevin- kind- of- girl?”(104) After reading I thought about how ironic it was that she explained her driver’s education class, but she not only made an illegal turn, she also didn’t end up with neither of the boys.
The Analyze of “Driver’s Education” in Writes of Passage by Paula Whyman
This short story left a lasting impression on me. It was easy to read because it was related to my age group and it talked about that I am going through, now. “Driver’s Education” was interesting and had an ironic ending. In the beginning of story, I found it funny how Whyman gave the driver’s education teacher a name that was completely opposite from his actually self. Although I like the story, I was a bit offended by what was going on in the story. Because I am a Black person, anytime I read stories that talk badly about Black people, I immediately take it personally. Therefore, reading the parts where Todd and his followers were talking about Mr. White was had for me to read. Reading the book, reminded me so much about high school. I could truly see myself in this book. There were many concepts in the story that are present in my everyday life. An example of this is when the main character and Todd went into the tent and “fooled around” with each, although she had already had a boyfriend, Kevin, she decided to do it anyway. This reminds me of how teens, like myself, make awful decisions without even thinking about the outcomes of our actions. I also enjoyed reading the book was because I like how the book concluded itself.
My first reaction to the story, “Driver’s Education”, by Paula Whyman was cultivated after the main setting of the story was set. The room in the department store, where the classes were held, resembled something like the lair of a murderer. That set up of the setting made me a little uneasy about what to expect as I read on. One of my favorite turns in the plot of the story is when the main character realizes she is caught in a love triangle. When she realizes that even though she had first thought Todd was not her type, she ended up succumbing to his gritty charm that she found irresistible. She also picked up on the little things that Todd changed about himself to impress her, like washing his mouth out so he wouldn’t taste like stale cigarettes when he kissed her. Also, I found it quite funny how paranoid she was when her boyfriend, Kevin, comes back to the class after “fooling around” with Todd. Another juicy part of the short story was the descriptive fight scene between Mr. White and Todd. After describing Mr. White as a black veteran with a prosthetic leg, it seemed as though he was at a disadvantage, seeing how Todd was described as this tall, built guy. After reading on how Mr. White whipped up on him and then called the cops; I could not help but find myself laughing at how similar that is to many students today, thinking that they know more than their instructors and then make a fool of themselves trying to prove themselves and fail miserably.
“Drivers Education” by Paula Whyman, has to be one of the most interesting topics any high school student can relate to. Being in high school comes with experience of actual Drivers Education classes for some people. Therefore, she wrote this story on a matter that I can relate to on a more personal level. This also makes it more interesting and encourages you to make text-to- world connections. The beginning is what set the story off. It was very attention grabbing, and as I read, I kept stopping and thinking to myself, “What would I do if I saw such things?” That is one thing that I love about this story. It makes you make real life connections, and most of all, you began to question yourself and actively read. One thing that I love about this short story is how she shows the different qualities, personalities, and attitudes of the characters. I was able to relate to this in so many different levels, because as a teenager, sometimes may go through the same things. I think it is just a stage that we experience, especially when we are doing something new and have little to no knowledge about. The only thing that questions me about this story is how does “Drivers Education” and teenage romance relate? I understand that in stories, what goes on does not directly relate to the title, but it still links through the overall theme. I feel that Paula Whyman focused more on teenage romance and relationships. This makes it easier to understand and helps with imagery. I love how Paula Whyman writes very descriptive and vividly.
When I read the first paragraph of “Driver’s Education” by Paula Whyman, my reaction was of shock, apprehension, and of a thrilling desire to read on. When Whyman described the place of her lessons as what “…looked like the set of a slasher movie” with mannequins- the killer’s hidden victims- stacked in a bathtub, and “instruments of torture,” I was captivated with the story. I was eager to find out what would be to happen even as I wondered how such a creepy setting could apply to the narrative. After the captivating hook of the story, I found a few other points of interest. I particularly liked the amount of situational irony displayed in the way that Kevin did not know about what had happened in the tent with Todd, and in how no one in the class knew the full skills of Mr. White before his match with Todd. I also liked how Whyman did not withhold details. She made everything explicitly detailed, for she even looked within herself and explained her shortcomings. When reading the book, I wondered why the protagonist was so interested in Kevin and Todd instead of other females her age, and I wanted to know how this driver’s education situation aged the author. Finally, what influenced the author’s choice in picking whether she was a “Todd-kind-of-girl or a Kevin-kind-of-girl”?
I am posting about Paula Whyman’s Drivers Ed published in the book Writes of Passage . Let me begin by saying that I loved this story, it was truly a talked of growing up and discovering the world around you. This book in short is about a young girl (she is either fifteen or sixteen) who is taking a drivers education class. There is at first an obvious romantic connection between the girl and a boy named Kevin Thorpe. Kevin is described similarly to the description of prince charming in Cinderella, tall, tan and handsome. But as the story evolves a new male interest enters the story, his name is Todd. Todd is described as the exact opposite of Kevin (large and brutish as opposed to graceful and handsome). The two boys act in opposite ways too. Kevin is sweet and childish while Todd is equally as childish but tends to hide it with more manly tendencies. In the end the young girl gives up on the growing love affair between her and Kevin, and directs herself towards Todd. I felt that this was a metaphor for growing up and expanding past the things you where told by Disney and other childhood entities. Kevin embodies in every way prince charming. Todd, on the other hand, can be envisioned as many of the villains in children’s stories. By choosing Todd over Kevin the young girl has made her own transition out of storybook land, just as she physically breaks from childhood by getting a license.
Driver's Education was story that began with a simple situation, a class for young students learning to drive. The students in the class, however, end up telling a lot about the views of young people in the US in the past. WE can assume that the story occurs around or shortly after 1979 because of the car that Kevin picks the main character up in for their date. The story of the main character is interesting as she deals with the dilemma of choosing between the two boys in her class. The girl seems to crave a change or an interesting event in her life, which she shows by often imagining interesting scenarios through other people's eyes. She thinks about how the people she knows with interesting lives have divorced parents and how she wishes she could too, just to make it more interesting. The book does more then tell the story of a confused teenage girl, but also shows the racial tension in the US at the time. Some of the student's in the class are hateful towards the teacher of the class due to his race. They mock him for his missing leg but as Kevin points out it is really due to the fact that he is black. The story also has a lot of old traditions in it. There are students smoking inside and at a young age. The movies are old as well. I liked the story a lot overall.
Emma J, I am glad to answer your question on the text. Earlier, you had wondered what people were thinking about Mr. White’s prosthetic leg. In fact, some people had made fun of Mr. White’s missing leg. Todd had teased Mr. White by depicting a mannequin without a leg to resemble him (Whyman 98). Kevin and his girlfriend also snickered at Mr. White when he told the story of what happened to him (Whyman 96). Mr. White had been clipped by a sniper in the war. So in conclusion, I somewhat agree in your feelings. One part that I would have added to that would be such as how maybe the author uses the leg disability to follow up on the story’s fight in the end. Other than that, I see no fault in your answer and concur with your thoughts. Kelsea J, you had wondered and questioned how the baseball bat had gotten into Todd’s hand if he didn’t know a fight was going to happen. You’re question cannot be answered for the book states that Todd does not know how the baseball bat got into his hand before the fight with Mr. Todd in front of the elevator of the mall (Whyman 105). My input on this is that the author, Paula Whyman, is trying to add somewhat of a twist to the story’s concluding fight. In other words, the author is trying to add specific details that leave the readers, people like us, wondering. Furthermore, it builds suspense to the upcoming fighting scene.
Everett! I really enjoyed your impression of the story “Driver’s Education.” I thought you gave a unique approach toward the story, which in turn gave me a new perspective. You mentioned how the story gave an insight into the teenage shenanigans that take place and I agree because different people have different life experiences and Paula showed us a glimpse into the life of teenagers. After this view from Everett, I came to believe that teenagers do not always have it easy and this story just showed a few months into the long journey of teenage hood. I liked how you picked up on the strange fight between Todd and Mr. White. You showed the outlook into the reality; Mr. White, a war veteran with a prosthetic leg, won a fight against a strong young man. After reading your blog I was able to pick up on small details about situation that I did not recognize before. At the end of the story I truly thought Todd was the one who called after her, “babe”. In the story he always said, “Hey babe come over here” and other sayings of that nature. I also think it was meant to leave a mysterious feeling, which would make you wonder who that really was. By the end of the story I think she made excuses not to go out with Kevin anymore because she did not like him anymore and wanted to move on from that part of her life. I am pretty sure she was ready to start over and by that time she must have been tired of dealing with Todd and Kevin. She took her driving test by appointment at the office of Simple-Safe Solutions and you can tell she was able to drive because at the end of the story she made that ironic illegal u-turn into the mall.
Kelsea I really loved your blog! I thought it had character, personality, and yet showed and explained significant events in the story. I agree when you said Paula took us through a journey more than just a driver’s education class. The title and first couple of pages did not prepare you for the rest of the story. You were absolutely right when you said this story pulls up and takes us through many memories in just twelve and a half pages. Now that I think about your insight a little more I am realizing the purpose of this story might be to capture, short and sweetly, all the drama and stress during one memory of your lifetime. I also love Paula’s writing style. Her writing is so sweet, but she took and guided you though a beautiful writing piece with clear and enjoyable narrations. I liked how you felt like you had to choose between being a Todd or Kevin girl, but after reading the story again I felt like I had to too! This is a great example into the dramatic effect Whyman has on her readers. To answer your question you should know Jane Eyre is the character of the book Jane Eyre by Emily Bronte. Basically she starts life hard by getting teased by family and friends, but soon makes bonding friendships. Unfortunately, she was never really close with her family members because of all the abuse she received. Soon she fell in love with the man her family would not let her marry due to the fact that he was not rich and already had an almost divorced wife. After being persuaded the two ran away together and well you have read the rest to find out what happens! To answer your other question I think he came up the elevator from sporting goods with the bat and the intention to hurt Kevin. Mr. White must have seen what was going on and after being taunted by Todd had enough and intervened.
Everett, thank you for answering my question. I would also like to help and shed some light on the first two questions you mentioned. I think the person staring at her in the end was just another person there – no one special. I think the reason Paula Whyman added that person in the story was to cycle it back around, to show how the narrator was never really sure who she was interested in. In the story, it says, “I heard a tar-laden voice say, “Babe”, and I half-turned, not even half, just enough to see if he meant me” (107). I believe this is implying that the woman has never decided who she wants, showing that she hasn’t really changed since her days in the driver’s education class. This is part of you other question, to why she wouldn’t answer Kevin’s calls. She was unsure about who she wanted, and we can see from the end that she never really made up her mind. As it says in the story, “Was I a Todd-kind-of-girl or a Kevin-kind-of-girl?” (104).
Sarah, I would be happy to answer you last two questions. After reconsidering the story after Everett answered my question about his leg, I believe the leg is a symbol of his strength, not weakness. It is strength because it shows he survived them war, not one of the victims who never left. The other boys probably thought he couldn’t do anything now and was a weakling, but they didn’t see what the leg really meant, which is that he is a strong survivor. In the book, it says, “It was so fast that even though I was watching the whole time, I felt like I didn’t see it happen” (105-106). They go after him because they think he will not be able to fight back, but he has been through what they hope to never experience, and he showed those boys that he could still fight. In response to your second question, no, I do not think that the guy at the end of the story was Todd, but I think it was a symbol by the fact that she turned to check if he meant her was a way of saying whe had not changed. It wasn’t about the guy at the end, who is just another person, it is about the woman’s reaction to him. She looked over, symbolizing that she hadn’t really figured out who she wanted; that she had not changed since her classes. If you wish to read more about this topic, I answered Everett’s question, which was very similar to yours.
“Driver’s Education” by Paula Whyman is a very interesting story. I definitely enjoyed it a lot. My first reaction to it was that it was just simply going to be a story about a girl who likes boys in her class because of how she stated that she had an obsession with the “blond surfer boy”. However, as the story progressed I started noticing other elements in the story. For example, the sense of racism between Todd and Mr. White and also Kevin. This completely changed the story now it became controversial and the girl was just watching it all happen. It made me think of how us teenagers witness things at our age that stay with us forever because even as a women she still thought back to the Drivers Ed class. What I liked best about the story was how alive it seemed; I felt like I was watching it all. I think Paula Whyman gives nice descriptive language to give her readers a good image of what is going on so they can understand better because I know I did. Overall, I enjoyed this story a lot but it was a bit ambiguous at the end. Who was the guy she saw at the end?
Response one:
Camara’s view of “Driver’s Education” from Writes of Passage really opened my eyes to new interpretations; she mentioned in her blog that Kevin was like Prince Charming, which, now that she has pointed it out, I completely agree with. Kevin is a model of what every little girl’s dream is: “tall, tan, and handsome,” as Camara put it. This view is rather childish, and as the story progresses and the narrator becomes interested in Todd, a manlier, more mature boy, it shows that the character is growing up and looking to broaden her horizons away from the narrow-mindedness of a young girl. The narrator even asks herself at one point in the book (after she has matured), “Why did I feel like I had to choose? Did anyone else have to?” (105), when she was wondering about whether to choose Todd or Kevin. This illustrates that she now feels that she does not have to choose one type of guy (like the one that is encouraged by Disney), but instead that she can many various tastes. The view that Camara takes also answers one of the questions that I posted in my fist blog. I asked, “How the experience helps the narrator come-of-age?” Camara answered this when she pointed out that the main character comes of age by transitioning “out of storybook land, just as she physically breaks from childhood by getting a license,” which is exactly what I was wondering. In addition, Camara compares the story to Disney, and how in growing up, the main character is moving away from her babyish fantasies, and budding into a grown woman. Thank you, Camara.
Response two:
I concur with Kealsea J’s view of the story. She says that Paula Whyman is exceptionally good at relaying the story to the reader, and I cannot agree more. Paula Whyman’s phrase, “Why did I feel like I had to choose? Did anyone else have to?” (105) also strikes me and leaves me wondering if you really do have to choose; it is a very intellectual thought. Another example of Whyman’s outstanding writing is when she is describing Mr. White when he is furious at Todd and his friends and deciding what to do about them. She writes, “Then [Mr. White] turned quickly, grimacing with the effort of turning the leg around, and stood glaring at the back of the class. After a moment of silence in which we all had a chance to read the doom imprinted on his furrowed brow…” (104). Words like “doom,” “imprinted,” and “furrowed” give very clear, descriptive images of what Mr. White looked like, as well as how he felt.
Kelsea also speaks of how the narrator shares her thoughts on everything. Besides offering her thoughts on how Todd is a salmon swimming upstream, (which Kelsea points out), the narrator also shares her thoughts by often comparing events in the story to books and movies, which says that she is an intellectual teenager. She refers to a book when she speaks of Streetcar Named Desire , and she says “They’ve had this date from the beginning” (105) when Todd and Mr. White are about to fight. Later, the narrator refers to how in movies, fight scenes are often played in slow motion, and she speaks of how that is how she felt when she saw Todd and Mr. White fight.
To answer Kelsea’s questions, I think that it is always Todd’s plan to beat up Mr. White. When he actually sees Mr. White, however, he freezes and suddenly realizes that he is about to make a mistake, especially when he spots that Mr. White is ready to fight back. The transition occurs when Mr. White says, “You want a piece of me…? You want a piece of me?” (105).
Also, Jane Eyre is the main character of a book by Emily Bronte (author of Wuthering Heights) which is entitled Jane Eyre. In the story, Jane is an orphan, which is why the narrator refers to her. Thank you, Kelsea for your thoughts and comments.
Julia, I really liked your interpretation of the story.I think you describe with great accuracy "the typical high school fling," that is nothing too serious. As the narrative progresses, i like that you comment on how you learn of her almost sub-conscious infatuation for Todd, and why you think Paula is attracted to him. To answer your question, I think that she is attracted to him because he is mysterious; something new and different. Also, I think this made her incredibly guilty and confised that they fooled around. I believe that one boy was a "safe" option and the other was one that was unforseen: a new venture. This not only made him attractive, but made him highly interesting.
Emma, I loved your take on Paula Whyman’s “Drivers Education”-I agree that her short story was less about actually learning to drive and more about the experiences of her coming to age: what you will learn, and what will stay with you forever. I thought it was interesting how you noticed the connection between the divorces of Kevin’s parents, and eventually the main character’s divorce. However, I do not think this has any major relationship because, based on the book’s main focus, her divorce at the end was just a point of interest, to show that if your torn and confused, you will never really make up your mind; versus Kevin’s parents were mentioned just in passing. Also, other people clearly had strong, hypercritical reactions towards Mr. White’s prosthetic leg, as exemplified through Todd’s display of disrespect with the mannequin without a leg (Whyman 99), and everyone’s pure utter horror and shock at realizing Mr. White was missing a leg (Whyman 97).
Everett, I really liked the way you presented your ideas-through a logical, in an easily deciphered format. I really liked your questions! Your first, the one about “who was that man at the end?” was a common question, but the more I look at it, it feels like she was having a recap about her drivers ed class and what stayed with her, so at the end the man was really just a flash-back to who she was and where she has come (Whyman 107). Also, the narrator made excuses to not go out with Kevin because she was conflicted-and still conflicted as reflected in the man on the street saying “babe”-and she “didn’t want to hurt Kevin’s feelings (Whyman 103)” if he found out about her and Todd fooling around. Finally, I actually do not think that she might even have passed her test because she may have been able to just get her license after her “traumatizing” experience (Whyman 106), nobody seemed to care about what they were learning-it was more about the drama- (Whyman 104), and the author made an illegal U-turn at the end (Whyman 105), proving that she had learned nothing.
Response 1:
I love India’s response to the reading because she not only discusses what was in the book, but she also relates it to her actual life. She referred to how it related to her life numerous times throughout her blog response. First, she said that it related to her age group, which I can understand because the main character in the book was fifteen which is close to what age India is now. Later she expresses how she is offended by the short story because of how it portrays Black people badly. I would like to disagree with her in saying that Mr. White’s triumph over Todd in the story showed a victory for the Black man in my opinion. After this, she went on to explain that the rebel-like nature that the main character flaunted could be related to her own decision making. I found this part of her blog—bold. Ha ha, great job India!
Response 2:
Carlye’s response made me go back to the story and re-read it. I wanted to experience the story the way that she had. She spoke of how she doubted that the story was real, and when I re-read it, I stayed in her mind-frame and realized that the plot contained many events that seemed to be out of place in the story—though on the contrary; this made the story all the more real to me. Also, when I re-read the story, I took advantage of the ironies that I partially missed when reading the short story. I wanted to experience their meanings, not only the mere factual ironies. Thank you very much for your post Carlye!
Answering Everett’s question about the unknown person at the end of the story, I believe that the person is supposed to be Todd. However, it leaves the readers with a cliffhanger because you never find out if it actually is him, you just assume. It is just as likely that it is some random talking on the phone, but there is no evidence pointing towards that. The purpose of the cliffhanger is to make you wonder about the ending and what happens afterwards and therefore making the story more interesting. It is even possible that the ending did not even happen in real life and she just added it as a literary effect. Answering Justin’s question about why the main character failed to stop the altercation. I believe that she did not stop the fight between Mr. White and Todd because she could not stop it. First off, both of them are much bigger then she was, so she physically could not do anything about it. Secondly, they both seemed very passionate about what they were fighting for, no matter the reason, so they are pumped up with adrenaline and are even stronger then normal. Third, she was most likely not thinking straight. She might have been in aw about the fact that her driving school teacher would actually get into a fight with a student and he was winning despite having a prosthetic leg. Finally, the police were on there way anyways, so anything that she tries to do might just make matters worse.
Response One:
India G., while reading your post, I can totally relate to where you are coming from. When I read things about racism or certain things that deal with racism, period; it touches a sensitive side of me. I think it is something that I just feel really strongly about. In response to your sensitivity, you should try to see what is going on differently with Mr. White and Todd. I think you should view it more a controversial leap in the plot, or really, plot advancement. Instead of focusing more on your feelings, try to focus on how hard it was for her to witness what is going on between Mr. White and Todd. Then, you should think more on what you would do if you were in her shoes. This would help with actively reading the text.
Response Two:
While reading Olivia’s response, I noticed how she explained how she thought Paula Whyman was able to incorporate most of the catastrophe that was going on between her, Todd, Kevin, and Mr. White; back to the meaning of the title “Drivers Education”. I understand how Whyman uses driving terms and her actual Drivers Education class in her story to tie back to the title. However, I feel that Paula Whyman focused more on her relationship issue, and teenage relationships in general. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the relationship stories, because it kept the story interesting. But on a more analytical level, I think she did not do well on tying the two together.
In Everrette’s Blog, his question was, “Who was the person looking back at the main character?”
1.I thought the person looking back at her was Todd. It was Todd because throughout the story, Todd called her “Babe” all the time. On page 103, Todd said, “I’m a dumb redneck to you, right, babe?”
In Emily C’s blog, her question was the story ends with irony. “Do you think that this is just for sake of humor?”
2.I thought it was just for humor because the characters are taking drivers education and one would think that thay would know all the things that thay learned but she ends up making an illegal “U” turn when she was not suppose to. It was ironic to me and humorous.
I have decided to respond to Emma’s post and Sarah’s post; first, Emma's. I agree about the title not fitting the story. I feel it just describes the setting. However, this too could be an ironic symbol. What is supposed to be just a driver’s ed class ends up teaching Whyman about a lot more than how to drive. She learns more about both herself and boys. You asked about the significance of Kevin’s parents’ divorce. His parents’ divorce may very well be an irony as well, however, I feel this detail was provided to allow the reader to know more about the character. A similar purpose was also served when Todd’s racism was described. After all, Todd’s racism added depth to both the character and the story. This one tiny fact can change the way a reader views him. With this piece of information, he goes from being viewed as a rebel to a jerk. And, Emma, I also appreciate that the story comes full-circle at the end.
Sarah, this is definitely a story. However, it is based on her life. In the table of contents, it’s listed as a story; however, I can see where you’d be confused. This experience helped the author come of age, because it allowed her to discover, to some extent who she was, a main example of this being the Todd or Kevin dilemma. Moving on to your next question, Mr. White’s leg was a reason Todd and his friends teased him. At one point in the story, Todd mocked Mr. White using a one-legged mannequin.
Response One:
As I re-read through all of the thoughts of my class mate about the reading, two blogs in particular stood out to me. Nancy’s and Camara’s blog stood out to me the most. Nancy’s blog reminded me of my own blog in a way. I, too, felt a sense of racism as a main element in the story, as the story progressed. In the beginning, I thought that story was going to be about teenage love while in a driver’s education class but it turned out to be way more than that. In addition, to answer your question, Nancy, in the end of the story, I was led to believe that she encountered Todd. I was left with this conclusion because in the story, Todd and his friends were also smoking in class and whenever someone smelt smoked, in the story, they seemed to relate the two. Also, I was led to believe that it was Todd in the end of the story because the way Whyman described Todd; he didn’t seem like the type of person to move on in life. I could imagine him always lurching around the driver’s education class, forever.
Response Two:
Camara! I loved the way you connected the two stories in such a way that actually made sense. Your thought on Cinderella and the short story, “Driver’s Education” was great. I think this way because as I reading the story, found myself thinking about typical guys that all the girls tend to gravitate to, in this case Kevin. Also how there is always that one person, or villain, that messes everything up for everyone else. I also like how you mentioned her getting her license and breaking out of childhood. This reminds me of the title of the entire book. It does this because a “right of passage” is when someone enters a new phase in their lives. In Jane’s case was when she was about to enter into adult hood by receiving her driver’s license. Although the title of the book is not “rite of passage” they just changed the rite as write. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your post. It caught my attention as soon I glanced over it.
The “Drivers Education” responses by my classmates showed me new and different views of the story that I never even thought of. First, the connection of the author’s relationship with Todd and Kevin to the popular book turned movie Twilight and New Moon made it easier to understand how different the two boys are. Second, even though we could not connect to the main themes in the book, recognizing that each character is insecure helps us as teenagers connect because we too have insecurities. Furthermore, each response was well thought out. However, my classmates also asked valid questions. First, Evert L’s response helped me with my own connection. Both Evert L and I had the same amazement with the fight scene with Mr. White and Todd. The ability for a old man with one real leg to fight against a teenager with a bat short of a miracle. In response to Evert L’s question stating, “Lastly, did she ever pass the driver’s education test,” the answer is yes she did. This is true when the author states, “I was driving back from the lawyer’s office,” (106). You can infer that she has a license, because if she did not it is important enough that she would state it in the story.
Response Two
Second, Jamie L and I both admired how Paula Whyman used vivid detail. We both agreed on how the author used this example when she states, “…looked like the set of a slasher movie,” as an interesting and captivating connection. However in response to Jamie L’s question stating “Finally, what influenced the author’s choice in picking whether she was a “Todd-kind-of-girl or a Kevin-kind-of-girl”? The author’s influence for deciding whether she is a Todd-kind-of-girl or a Kevin-kind-of-girl is based on one reason. First, Todd explains the types of girls he like when he states “cause I like slutty chicks, not prissy ass goody-goods” (103). This shows that Todd is interested in girls who are “slutty” (103). Therefore, the author can decide what type of girl she is based on her relationships with other people. Moreover, since she cheated on Kevin with Todd she could be more of a Todd-type-of-girl, because she is unable to commit to one person.
Justin, I thought that you analyzed the story very well, even though you couldn’t relate to it. I enjoyed your scrutiny of the plot and I think that you portrayed your understanding of the story well. To answer your questions, I think that she didn’t stop Todd because he was a totally new kind of person to her. She wasn’t used to his mannerisms and she was slightly fascinated by him. I also think that she didn’t want him to think that she thought that Kevin was better than him, when she obviously couldn’t make up her mind about that at all. I also think that, to answer your second question, that even though she was albeit casually dating Kevin, she didn’t want her hidden feelings for Todd to come out, and because of the style in which the story was written, we got to read her thoughts, and even though they weren’t public, she was infatuated with Todd, and that is what drover her passion.
Katie, I really enjoyed your first blog! I though that they way that you related the story to our lives at the end was incredible and really got me thinking about, well, life. I loved your choice of wording and I thought that you captured the essence of the story really well. I actually was thinking the same thing as you were about Todd when I started reading, but I thought about how sometimes, people want to test themselves, and see how they would deal with certain situations or people, like the narrator and Todd. I thought for her, being with Todd presented a thrill and a sort of challenge: going against what’s considered “right” to go behind Kevin’s back and hook up with the crudely dangerous type of guy that she has never really experienced before.
India, I really liked reading about your perspective of the story. I think it is interesting how you read “Driver’s Education” and was able to connect it to your everyday life. I also did the same thing because I think doing this makes it easier to get an understanding of what you are reading. I thought it was interesting how you pointed out that the driving instructors name was Mr. White while I the story Todd and other students were racists towards him for being black because I never looked at it in this way. If I am understanding you correctly, I think the message that Paula Whyman was trying to convey reached you because you wrote “This reminds me of how teens, like myself, make awful decisions without even thinking about the outcomes of our actions.” This tells me that you have an understanding of the world and teens around us, and that we need to think before we act. Emma J, I also enjoyed your interpretation of the story. I can relate in how you felt that the title did not exactly fit with the story although some things may have an underlying meaning which can go along with the title “Driver’s Education”. I think as you said, the fact that Kevin’s parents got a divorce was significant because it connected to the end of the story which also talks about divorce and how it changed their lives. I also think that some students believe that they can get away with more things due to the fact that Mr. White has an injured leg. In the story it says “Todd had teased Mr. White by depicting a mannequin without a leg to resemble him” (98) and “Kevin and his girlfriend also snickered at Mr. White when he told the story of what happened to him” ( 96) showing that kids do in fact make fun of him but I agree that it could also be a way of showing change. I also thought you interpreted the moral or meaning of the story in a very interesting way.
Emily C., I particularly enjoyed reading your analysis of Whyman’s diction. To answer your question concerning the presentation of an underlying message through said diction, I think that it serves the same purpose as it would in any other piece of writing: to bring attention to certain aspects of the writing; other than this there seems to be no message conveyed purely through it. However, the irony at the end of the short story was extremely significant in my mind. Whyman’s entire story is soaked in irony and ambiguity. This highlights the uncertainty of life which she illustrates in her short story through the main characters indecision and confusion. The story is indeed a coming-of-age story in which the central character grapples with concepts and ideas yet foreign to her. This is all set in front of the back drop of a Driver’s Ed class; which allows me to respond to Kelsea’s second post. I agree that the setting is ironic, but in that way, I find that it is perfectly fitting. In titling her short story as she did, Paula Whyman highlights the most obvious: not all experiences are garnered from having one’s leg blown off in Vietnam or by getting into a fight with a baseball bat and a teacher. A lot of our experience comes from observing and it is during the most mundane of tasks that such observation can take place. Indeed, isn’t that what happens in a driving class. Analyze the setting: the main character is in the classroom stage of her learning to drive. She is not yet on the road driving, but rather, she is sitting in a classroom while her teacher tries to depict how to parallel park using ‘x’s and lines on a chalk board. She is not experiencing it first hand, but rather through someone else. That is how she comes to understand Mr. White’s tragedy and Todd’s racism. At the end of the story she is driving; indeed, she must being driving to make that u-turn. At his point in the story, she has matured into a grown women and she is now experiencing this first hand.
To Kelsea
I absolutely agree with your point of view. Although I did not touch on it I am overjoyed to see that someone else did. An inner metaphor aside, the initial writing was superb. Her was of crafting the story didn’t make it seem like a simple teen drama, like it felt like it would be in the beginning (Starting with a similar plot line of the later books of The Clique Series ). But Whyman has managed not only to craft a convincing story of growing up, but also an equally convincing story of the complicated connections that people have to both other people and the world around them. This can be seen in two instances, the first being the “love triangle” (for lack of better words) between the main female character, Todd and Kevin. From the time that Todd interrupts our heroines’ relationship with Kevin, the childish simplicity ends. The lead is not forced to choose the second instance occurs with Mr. White and his alleged involvement in a war (either WWII or Vietnam). While this seems to be a very straightforward side story, it seems as if some of the anger that he has stems from the extreme racial tension during either of the two wars I mentioned before. To answer your questions, Jane Eyre is the heroine of Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre (read it it’s a really good book!). To the question about the baseball bat, I don’t understand that either. Possibly Whyman was trying to show the obvious violence that Todd has initially. Or it could be sort of a David and Goliath throw back, in which Mr. White is David and Todd is Goliath. I did not understand that either.
To Randall:
I concur with all of the points that you have made. The story was extremely real. As I have previously said, I had in the beginning feared a silly teen story of romance and cars. But Paula Whyman manages to elude this all together. This is all correct and what happened to the main character (who for some reason never got a name of her own) could happen to any teenager who dared to step into a drivers Ed class. The story was also consistently humorous not just in the part you mentioned. The way it written it almost feels like the prelude to the story was “You know funny story, when I was your age…” (But that may just be me feeling that way). To answer your questions, it is unclear who called to her it could have definitely been Todd. But most likely it was a Todd like figure, further proving her initiation into woman-hood. By the context of the story I am story of guessing that the story occurred in the 70’s or 80’s. My reasoning behind this is the make and year of Kevin’s’ dad’s car is during the early 70’s and the age that Mr. White is assumed at (taking into account he fought in WWII or the Vietnam war) they would be placed in about the late 60’s to early 80’s.
As I read all my classmate’s comments, I was impressed with the different opinions each and every one of my classmates had. In particular, I was greatly stunned with Sarah’s posting. She was able to explain her thoughts with textual evidence, in a well-mannered and organized way. Sarah said that the main character imagined what it would be like if her parents got a divorce, Sarah pointed out that the main character must be very inexperienced. Moreover, looking back at the story, and analyzing it closer, I realize that Whyman tries to convey the lack of experience in the main character because she was very indecisive when it comes to choosing who she liked. To answer your questions, the short story was fictional, according to the table of contents. In addition, you asked how the experience helped the narrator coming-of-age, to answer; I think her overall experience helped her grow as a person. For example, at the beginning of the story, she felt sorry for Mr. White’s prosthetic leg and when Kevin told her that Todd and his friends were racists, she didn’t believe him, “It’s ’ cause he’s black. No way He’s just bored with the class. It’s a boring class (101)” telling the reader she was in denial, but when Mr. White and Todd, “fought”, it was like a rude awakening for her. Additionally, you cannot really “know” if Mr. White’s leg was part of the reason Todd and his friends treat him poorly, but you can certainly infer. For instance, today, people are raised in such an ethnocentric society, based on different norms, and biases; we as the tomorrow’s future are so rude. We laugh and mock those who are different, when in fact; we should embrace and learn from them. To a certain extent, I believe this could have been Todd and his friend’s problem, they were not just focused on Mr. White being black, but the fact that he was different, Todd and his friends were so blank-minded and probably frustrated of not passing the test, “Todd was eighteen or nineteen and hadn’t passed the driving test yet (96)”. Furthermore, at the end of the story, this unknown man calls her, “babe” although it is not known if it is Todd or not, it probably was Todd, or was put into the story to represent Todd. Overall, I loved Sarah’s comment; she did an outstanding job describing her thoughts and concerns over the story. As I continued reading, I stopped across Emma M.’s post. I was greatly impressed with her observations. Due to her blog, I can tell she read the story carefully, and was able to comprehend it. For example, when she writes that Kevin’s father owns a ’79 Caprice, dating it back sometime around the 80s. In addition, just as Sarah and I noticed the inexperience, Emma was able to catch that, as she explains the inexperience of the students, just learning to drive. Additionally, Emma was able to justify her own perspective through a series of point of views. In Emma’s opinion, although the main character never went to war, the readers are can see how much she has grown, from the start of the story to the end. Furthermore, Emma, you asked, “was the unnamed main character really Paula or is it some fictional character – or perhaps a mixture of the two”, according to the table of contents it is, indeed, a story, not a memoir; however, whose to know if the story was based off of her life in a certain way, shape, or form. Moreover, the main character, in my opinion, at least, probably has a mixture of the two because the story was so well written, organized, an written in a way that seems, perhaps coming from first-hand experience, that it is pretty hard to think about it as two different people. Overall, I enjoyed reading Emma’s comment: she was able to describe her opinions, give details, and support it, using textual evidence.
Michelle A., I really liked your interpretation of the story. Your response showed me another way of analyzing a short story, using predictions. Then when you decided that you would just rather read it, I reread some parts of the story. I found that Whyman was truly being straightforward about the events that occurred. I agree with what you said about the type of language and diction that was used. It is very similar, if not the same, to what young people say today. When you asked why the main focus of the story was teen relationships and hormones, I thought of an answer. I believe that the story was entitled “Driver’s Education” because hormones and a relationship are things that Whyman experienced while she was taking driver’s education. If she would have named the story “Two Hot Boys and How I Feel about Them While I Was Learning How to Drive”, she would have gotten an entirely different audience then which I believe she intended. Also, I think that the message she was trying to send was more geared toward a general view of a teen’s life rather than on one specific point. Finally, when you asked about why the main character was being so indecisive, I thought about the character just being a normal human being. We all go through things that make us feel one way today and another way tomorrow. The main character, I think, was only being human and could not help but be confused at different times. Thank you for your thoughts Michelle.
Camara H., The way you worded your response was very to the point. I understand where your thoughts are coming from. What I got from your response was that this story was a kind of subliminal message to show that breaking out of the mold of childhood life can turn into becoming an adult. I like how you incorporated contrasts and dualities into your response. With you doing that, it gave a clearer view of how two characters in one story can be total opposites. After reading your response, I now have more things to take into consideration about my own life. Thank you for your thoughts Camara.
When I read Julia’s post I thought it summarized the story well.
To answer one of her questions, I think that the reason that they did not react to the fight initially is because they were too shocked and scared. I would probably react the same way for the same reasons.
I also thought that Justin wrote a really good blog, because it was short but concise. To answer his first question I thought that the narrator secretly liked him and she felt attracted to him so she did not stop him . I thought she felt passionately about the relationship because of the circumstance.
Kelsea J, I completely agree with your misinterpretation before reading the book in thinking that the main point would be about a girl learning to drive because that is exactly what I thought the main plotline of the story was going to be about. Further into your analysis, I saw how you brought up how the protagonist in the story had to choose between being a Todd-kind-of-girl and a Kevin-kind-of-girl. Just to put my input in, I believe that she had to make this choice because if she did not, then she would have to deal with dating two guys simultaneously, and even for the brief time that she was in this situation, she caused trouble enough much more for had she been trying to do that for a more long term period. To answer your questions, Jane Eyre is the protagonist in a book written by Charlotte Bronte in the 19th century who, in a nutshell, had no family, had an awful time in boarding school, fell in love and lived happily ever after. To answer your second question, On page 105, it is expressed that Todd has no other reason except for that he and Mr. White “had that date from the beginning” and because it was a course of action of which he was as you mentioned, “swimming upstream,” even though he negative consequences. All things considered I concur with your point of view.
Carlye M, I was unsure as to what you meant when you said that you could not validate whether what you were reading was true, or “real” as you put it. I however agree to the lightness the many cases of irony add to the story. I question your point of view on how exactly the story pertains to your personal life- are you in a conflict with two of your inner selves or something-the-like?
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