Theatrical Adaptation

Meditation #8

During our class discussion on Monday, we talked about our sympathetic feelings toward Peck, a character in "How I Learned To Drive," and how they changed from just reading the script and seeing it performed. Also, how the audience’s perception of Uncle Peck changes throughout the course of the play. While reading the script, I didn’t feel any sympathy for Peck at all; he seemed like a creepy, disturbed middle-aged man with serious mental issues. But when I saw the actor’s portrayal of Peck in the show, as a tentative man who did not seem to understand how twisted his perception of expressing love was, my feelings toward him changed dramatically. For example, in the hotel scene, I could actually see his whole fantasy world crumbling down around him because of Lil Bit’s rejection of his love. This event consequently caused his real world to crumble as well, causing his death. I felt really sad for him, not that she should have accepted his offer but just that he had founded so much on this hope and it couldn’t ever happen.

Peck had serious psychological problems for believing that this particular expression of love was normal in today’s society. Although, I am not entirely sure that he so much believed it to be accepted as hoped because he lied about seeing Lil Bit alone sometimes. But then again they told the family about the photo shoot, not the specifics but still, then there was the extended car drive, both of which were viewed as normal activities between an uncle and a niece.

My feelings changed drastically during the scene with the teenage greek chorus playing the role of Lil Bit’s voice in the car. I am not sure if it was the grotesqueness of actually seeing Peck touch her, and knowing that she was so young, but I was angry at myself for feeling sorry for him in the previous scene. I could not believe that I had felt anything but disgust for this molester.

The quote by Paula Vogel, “It takes a village to molest a child” really hit home during this show, especially in the scenes with the interaction with the rest of the family members. Like Lil Bit’s mom telling her that if anything happened it would be her responsibility, she knew how he looked at Lil Bit and she allowed her to go with him anyway. I felt like I was a part of that village she was talking about because I was witnessing it and not able to do anything to help her. Maybe the family was ignorant to the specifics of the relationship between Peck and Lil Bit, but even Aunt Mary told us that she would be glad when Lil Bit went to college so that she could have her husband back. She knew, just like the mother, and did nothing about it, nothing to help her; this is why that quote hits home so well throughout the course of "How I Learned To Drive".

posted by Taylor @ 6:34 PM