While reading “How I Learned to Drive” by Paula Vogel I tried to think and reflect on my own values. I like to end things on a good note, so I will first talk about some values that I did not agree with are. The first one that stuck out to me was the mentioning of family a lot throughout the play. It seemed as though that no matter what family does to you, you should always treat them with respect and give instant forgiveness because of the fact that they are family. I have dealt with this personally throughout my life. I would have a family member wrong me and be told that it is okay and that I should not turn my back on them. In my late teenage years leading into adulthood, I started to form my own value about family. Once I have reached a point of not wanting to deal with you anymore, I will not. To me, it is not worth the stress. A more controversial topic in the play is the relationship between Uncle Peck and Li’l Bit. The first thing wrong with it, is the fact that they are related. Peck points out that they are not related by blood, but that is still not okay. The other thing wrong with it is the age difference, especially when Li’l Bit has not even reached adulthood yet. The one thing I agreed with when reading the play was the comparison of driving a car and being in control of your life. You may not always have control of what is going on around you, but you do have control over how you react.

Reference:

Meyer, Michael, et al. Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing, 12th ed., Bedford/St. Martins, Boston, 2020, pp. 1370–1406.

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