LOVE IN L.A.

1. LOVE IN L.A. By: DagobertoGilb

2. About the Author… DAGOBERTO GILB!

3. LITERARY TERMS!!! THEME: the central idea or meaning of a story; provides a unifying point around the plot, characters, point of view, symbols, and other elements of a story SETTING: the physical and social context in which the action of a story occurs; include the background, atmosphere or environment in which characters live and move POINT OF VIEW: a way the events of a story are conveyed to the reader, it is the “vantage point” from which the narrative is passed from author to the reader. CHARACTER: a person who is responsible for the thoughts and actions within a story, poem, or other literature. DIALOGUE: conversation between characters in a drama or narrative ESCAPIST: avoiding reality by absorbing the mind in a world of fantasy or in an imaginative situation

4. SUMMARY The story begins in traffic jammed L.A. with the main character, Jake, driving on the freeway. Although disappointed at the traffic, he is so enraptured by his daydream of a new car that is enhanced with a nice radio and velvet seats that he ends up smacking the car ahead of him. Jake considers the possibility of a hit and run, but he decides that there is too much traffic for him to get away in time and instead he stops and checks his car for damage. After he assesses his own car, he meets the driver of the damaged Toyota, a Venezuelan girl named Mariana. From there, Jake switches into his smooth talker role with Mariana, to possibility make her forget about the fact that he crashed into her car. He then tries to con her by saying he doesn't have any insurance and assures her that he will pay for it. When she insists on getting his information, he gives her a fake insurance number, address, and phone number and tells her to call him. As he drives away, he sees Mariana behind him writing down the license plate numbers that he stole from another car. Back into the flow of L.A. traffic, Jake’s thoughts wander back to that new car with a nice radio and velvet seats.

5. Notable Excerpts and Quotations… “Jake could imagine lots of possibilities when he let himself, but none that ended up with him pressed onto a stalled freeway” (256) “What if we don’t report it to the insurance companies? I’ll just fix it for you” (257) “His sense of freedom swelled as he drove into the now moving street traffic, though he couldn’t stop the thought about the FM stereo radio and crushed velvet interior and new car smell that would even make it better” (258) “So maybe we should go out to breakfast somewhere and talk it over” (257) “Jake considered driving past the Toyota but the traffic would make it too difficult” (256

6. QUESTIONS! Please answer two  What was your initial reaction to the stories substance or meaning? Did it have any? 2. Describe Jake’s character. Is he fake? Self-centered? Perhaps even a womanizer? You choose. 3. What is Jake’s relationship with consequences. Does he avoid them out of fear? Laziness? Self-exaltation? Does Jake face reality? Or does he hide from it… 4. Why is the setting of Los Angeles important to the story? 5. Is this truly a love story? Notice the description of how Jake describes his dream car and how he describes Mariana.