"Fuck you! You ride this goddamned thing!" was as clever as I could get with death humping me. I'd try to run them off the bridge as if I were in a movie, but at fifteen miles an hour, you can't even scratch the paint." --pg. 78 (56 in course packet)
Lopez's definition of road trip is portrayed through a rebellious attitude on the road. As two women take to the road on motorcycles, we see from the very start a different side of femininity (or lack thereof). Lopez expresses the woman’s subconscious state of mind on matters to have an effect that woman can be as equally tasteless and lewd as men are. The attitude derived by the women is a “take no bullshit” from anyone, as she curses the drivers around her neglecting the fact that she maybe the cause of all the disturbance on the road being she’s riding at a mere fifteen miles per hour. Not only is this attitude prevalent throughout the journey on the road, Lopez refers to Magdalena as “C-cup” multiple times. This brings a sort of raunchiness to the two women as this does not coincide with the norms of society. By doing so, Lopez seems to express the woman’s overbearing sexuality while on the road.
ReplyDeleteI AM WOMAN
Rebellion undoubtedly plays a major role in Erika Lopez’s definition of a road trip. Take, for example, her choice of traveling on a motorcycle instead of a traditional automobile. No one can deny that the mere mention of a motorcycle generally provokes such thoughts of daring, defiance, and even, masculinity. Indeed, Lopez mentions earlier that “women wearing pink foam curlers in passing RVs will desire” (p.43) them as they ride by. Perhaps her journey is a rebellion against society’s classical woman? At the same time the reader cannot help but notice Lopez’s tremendous pride in her sex, especially when she states such things as “huge Latin American breasts” and “liv[ing] off the fumes from our estrogen.” (p.43) Erika’s road trip thus far definitely gives off a different vibe than those of her male colleagues, Kerouac and Steinbeck.