Car

The narrator's car is one of the novel's primary settings. At the start of the novel, the narrator decides to get into his car and take an impromptu night drive in hopes of alleviating his boredom. He then drives around without a plan or a destination in mind. After the car gets stuck on the forest road, the narrator remains in the vehicle.

The insular vehicular setting compounds and enacts the narrator's immobilization, entrapment, and loneliness. While in the car by himself, the narrator is entirely isolated from others. He has only his own mind to entertain him. At the same time, the car grants him the illusion of safety and stability, freedom and autonomy, without actually altering his circumstances. The author uses the setting as a throughway into the narrator's internal experiences.

Forest Road

For the first part of his car ride, the narrator stays on the...