Structure

The external event of the car ride overlaps with the main character’s flashbacks about her first sexual experience. This helps Kate Smalley Ellis illustrate in a creative way the themes of control, and rites of passage to adulthood in the short story “Are We Nearly There?”.

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Beginning

The short story begins in media res, in the middle of a conversation between Jen and her mother, hooking readers’ attention: “ ‘Clear your mind, Jen.’ Mum is chewing gum fast, itching for a cigarette Dad won’t let her have in his car. ‘This is an easy start. You know the route to Granny’s.’ ” (ll. 1-2)

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Middle

The middle of the short story presents the rising action which is constructed by overlapping external events and tension points with the character’s flashbacks.

The external events concern Jen’s driving and her family’s attitude to it. Tension points are marked by her mother being anxious and nagging Jen:

‘Are you deaf or what?’ Mum shouts and I jump. The needle is edging towards 85 mph. There is a gust of wind and the deep connection between me and the car is severed abruptly.
‘Only a fool breaks the two-second rule.’ Mum loves a mantra. (ll. 47-50)

Jen is stressed about driving on the motorway and feels insecure about her driving skills. Her anxiety is amplified by the fact that she keeps having flashbacks of the previous night when she and Simon had sex for the first time:

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Ending

In the falling action, Jen exits the car and throws up, a gesture which becomes symbolic of her disgust and anxiety about her decision to have sex.

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