DRIVE D

ON

E BY:

MARCU

S LO

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CHIR

AN M

AND

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HS I E

H J

I NG

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IUH

L IU T

A I L A I

CHARACTERISATION

MAIN CHARACTERS• Driver,

• RX-7 Driver,

• Lizzie

LIZZIEKeeps a low profilePg 45: “Sssh… Don’t make trouble”Pg 46: “Just eat okay? The people at the next table are staring”

StubbornPg 52: “She didn’t understand. And wasn’t willing to try, even after all these years.”

RighteousPg 54: “Ming sort of appropriated them…He saw Lizzie’s frown and broke the silence.”

BM DRIVERUniversity graduatePg 51: “You university people think you’re so smart, right?”

SuccessfulLives in Bukit Timah and drives a BeeM

RecklessFound all over the story, participates in car chase

RX-7 DRIVER

RudePg 48: “The driver stuck his fist out of the windows into the rushing wind: a thumb wrapped under the closed index finger, pointing to him.”

SYMBOLISM

SYMBOLISMUniversity students Ken Friends

Man driving the RX-7

Cars

Scratching of car

SYMBOLISM OF THE TITLE It can mean

• literally driving race between cars

• Driving force of society

• University students driving towards a perfect society

SYMBOLISMIn the point of view of the university

students

Driving on a smooth road – perfect society

Traffic lights – obstacles – people like RX-7 driver

UNIVERSITY STUDENTSSymbolize the perfect and ideal societyWell EducatedRichBMW

Feels that the world revolves around them

Thinks the world about themselves

UNIVERSITY STUDENTSLeads them to be inadvertently sucked

into a vortex of material pursuits and senseless competition 

Racing with the RX-7 driver on the CTE

RX-7 DRIVER“Imperfection” to societyFrom a different world, a different ‘obit’. Described as having a “plain face, dark from the sun, no glasses, permed hair….On the right wrist…a thick gold chain” [direct quotation]

Differs from the norm of the society of the university students

RX-7 DRIVERIf he was dark from the sunNo education

If he had no glassesLack of educational qualificationsLack of intellectual capacityDiffers from the norm of the society of the univerty student (society)

CARSSymbolize how success is viewed

University studentBMW

DriverRX-7

Difference in carsShow the difference in what is viewed as successful in the society of the university students

CARSBMW High end continental car Defined as successful (not within budget of average

singaporean) Fast Powerful

RX-7 Affordable Japanese sports car

Cannot afford continental model Would still like the speed of one

SCRATCHING OF THE CAR

Driver scratched Ken’s BMWWith a crowbar

Clear, smooth body of the car symbolizes society

Refer to university studentsScratching of it with the crowbar referred to the flaws in society

SCRATCHING OF THE CARCrowbar symbolizes objects in society

which cause imperfectionRefer to the driver (in the context of the university student)

We can never have a society which is perfect or free of imperfection.

MAIN THEMES IN DRIVE

MARGINALIZATION

“Maybe Lizzie was right: he was from a different world, a different “orbit” .”

“ ‘You university people think you’re so smart, right?”

“No point getting involved with that kind of person.” “What kind of person?” “You know.” “The type Lizzie thinks carries a knife or bearing scraper.”

All these evidence shows that there is marginalization in the story, mainly between university educated people and non-university educated people.

MARGINALIZATIONWe know that the narrator belongs to this well off

and elite group as he is a successful university graduate who has the trappings of success associated with him. For example, he drives a BeeM, listens to Mozart as he drives and lives in Bukit Timah.

In contrast, the RX-7 driver is perceived by the narrator as “from a different world, a different ‘obit’.” He is described as having a “plain face, dark from the sun, no glasses, permed hair….On the right wrist…a thick gold chain.”

SOCIETY ISSUE OF CLASS• The BeeM driven by the narrator as well as

living in Bukit Timah, where landed houses are found, are commonly accepted signs of the trappings of success in Singapore because possession of these would suggest that one has “arrived” as these objects are normally not within the reach of the average, ordinary Singaporeans.

• In contrast, the RX-7 suggests an affordable Japanese sports car driven by someone who cannot afford a continental model but would still like the speed of one. In other words, a “wannabe”.

SOCIETY ISSUE OF CLASS• The RX-7 driver’s face “dark from the sun”

suggests that he is one prone to working under the sun, probably dealing in labour intensive work.

• It suggests his lack of educational qualifications. The lack of glasses seems to further suggests his lack of intellectual capacity.

OFFICE LIFE“Lizze, Choon Ming and Kathy, Ken and Mei Lin –

dressed in their office clothes, each with a bowl of steaming hot Hokkien prawn mee. Choon Ming, like him, still with a tie, Ken with his sleeves rolled up, almost finished with his first bowl.”

“It was still early, only 10.00. Coffee and cakes had been followed by ice cream and then sandwhiches and fruit- a plate of cut kiwi, strawberries and seedless grapes.”

This shows the kind of life they lead when they are in the office.

DECISION MAKING“No point getting involved with that kind of person.” – Ken

… What Ken had done seemed like an act of cowardice.”

This shows that different decisions that two different people would make.

“Shit you should have scratched his car.” – Ming

In fact, he thought of it… but he might be caught.

“The BeeM accelerated…” “It was the car (RX-7) alright. Then he didn’t have time to think of anything else.”

This all shows the different decisions people would make under what situation.

CONCLUSION• In conclusion, through the story Drive,

the societal issue of class is clearly shown. Simon Tay uses these signs to reinforce stereotypes and cultural assumptions. This sign system functions as an ideological system to keep people defined and classified so that similarities and differences are all at once readily identifiable.