Drives

Magna’s nightly drives symbolize escape. Feeling depressed and alone after her breakup with Jamal, Magna used the drives as a coping mechanism. However, the more uncomfortable and entrapping life at Lashington & Wiis becomes, the more Magna relies upon her drives for an illusory sense of freedom. The drives ultimately cannot liberate Magna from the threateningly racist culture at the university.

Lashington & Wiis

Lashington and Wiis symbolizes institutionalized racism. The school has a threatening community and culture. No matter how faculty like Magna tries to discuss their negative experiences, the university fails to address its systemic issues. The school is a micro representation of the larger American social climate.

Delandria

Delandria’s character symbolizes exploitation. For one of Magna’s assignments, Benton writes a paper about Delandria, his childhood nanny. The way he represents her on the page is unsettling and offensive to Magna, and...