The dramaturgical choices made by Fornes in Conduct of Life lead readers and audience members to speculate on many things, most notably, the meaning of the ending. The play ends in such an ambiguous way that it can be interpreted in many different ways. One of the biggest questions presented to audiences is the question of whether Leticia had an affair or not. This is presented through Letcia's actions in the final scene of the play, when she is almost being tortured by Orlando who is drilling her with questions about a potential lover. Although she states that she does have a lover, it seems that she is doing it just to stop Orlando from hurting her. When she gets a chance, she shoots him and hands the gun to Nena. Her actions convey that she is not only scared of Orlando, but possibly guilty of having an affair with Alberticio Estevez. The choice by Fornes to end the play in such a way is vital to the understanding of the theme of the play, which revolves around the concept that we all live our lives according to how others expect us to. The breaking of social norms by the characters throughout the play shows that while people may try to adhere to a specific "conduct of life," if you will, things occur that change people and the way they act.

Hornby Prompt

1. In How I Learned to Drive, the most noticeable motif is the repetition of driving instructions. These instructions, such as "Idling in the Neutral Gear" and "You and the Reverse Gear." These statements are repeated at the end of one scene and the beginning of the next. There are few variations throughout the play in terms of what the statements say or mean, but they all serve the same purpose: to indicate the flow of time in the play or to mirror the events happening in Li'L Bit's life at this point in the play. When it is stated "You in the Reverse Gear," it means that the plot is moving back a year in time. When it is stated "Idling in the Neutral Gear," time stands still for a scene. At major plot points, other things are stated, such as "Were You Prepared?" and "Implied Consent."

2. In the TV series The Walking Dead, there are constant motifs of Rick Grimes being a savior figure of sorts for the rest of his survival group. There are several different points in the series when Rick is responsible for saving people and making the important decisions that nobody can make. He is a father, a sheriff, and makes sacrifices for his friends and family constantly.

How I Learned to Drive Blog Post

The choice by Vogel to include a small "Greek" chorus in How I Learned to Drive is essential to the effect that the story has on the reader or audience. The chorus play all of the non-essential roles, as in, every role apart from Peck and Li'l Bit. By doing so, the chorus diminish the value of the characters that they play, and through this diminished value, the reader/audience is forced to focus solely on the relationship of Peck and Li'l Bit. The focus remains on these two throughout the play, and leaves the reader/audience with a sense of uncertainty. The lines between normal and absolutely goddamn creepy are very blurry by the end of the play, and I feel that if the supporting roles were actually filled by actors as opposed to chorus members, the nonchalant approach to the molestation of Li'l Bit would be much more alarming.

When I first began reading, the most confusing dramaturgical choice Vogel employed seemed to me to be the constant driving instructions being spoken at the end of each major point in the script. In hindsight, this choice had a very clear purpose, but with my first light skim of the script, I didn't really pick up on it until later in the script. The boldfaced lines at the end of each major plot point or scene in the script are an obvious representation of a shift in perspective of the play, or allude in some way to the similarities between Li'l Bit's driving lessons and her relationship with Peck.