I stopped the car. Turned the engine off. I was sitting in the car.
-- Narrator (Pages 9 - 21)

Importance: The narrator's time spent sitting in his car symbolizes his immobilization. After the car gets stuck on the forest road, the narrator fails to take any immediate action to change his situation. It is a dark, snowy night, but the narrator turns the engine off and sits in the cold staring out his window. The simple syntax of these lines affects a declarative, decisive tone which contrasts with the narrator's inaction and indecision. These lines thus convey the narrator's simultaneous desire and inability to take control of his situation.

Forward, backward. Again and again. Forward, backward. Yes, I'll try that again.
-- Narrator (Pages 9 - 21)

Importance: Once the narrator realizes that he is in danger, he makes a plan for extricating his car and getting back to town. However, his plan is a repetition of what he has already done. Accelerating...