A Few Bumps in the Road

            Everyone has heard the expression that it is the journey not the destination that matters in the end; however, this rarely applies to road trips. From the time I was practically born until I was in seventh grade I had the distinct pleasure of driving from Denver, Colorado to West Des Moines, Iowa. Therefore, I managed to connect with the short story “Vacation ‘58” by John Hughes because it exaggerated many of issues that arose during my family’s road trips, which made the story utterly absurd.

            The issues that the family encounters are humorous because the average person can relate to it. The family begins by preparing for the trip in almost every manner possible. The father makes sure that “the tire pressure was perfect,” and that the “AAA maps were organized;” despite all this preparation, the vacation is doomed to fail (260). This reminds me of every family trip my family has ever been on. My dad always obsessively plans out every detail of the trip, but it the end the planning hardly matters because some aspect goes astray for example a cancelled flight, a flat tire, or an outbreak of the flu.

However, the family’s misfortune in “Vacation ‘58” far exceeds anything that my family encountered; in fact, the ridiculousness of their bad luck makes the story humorous. Aunt Edythe dying was probably one of the most comical parts of the story. This is because the entire family is so cold about her death; they tie her to the roof of the car and leave her on Normie’s porch with a note attached. One would expect Aunt Edythe’s death to be a tragic event, but the family acts completely heartless. Therefore, the family’s response reflects the incongruity theory of humor because it goes against one’s expectations. As the story goes on it becomes more and more unbelievable. Somehow the family drives through a missile proving ground, and the father shoots Walt Disney.

Family vacations hardly ever go according to plan, especially road trips. Despite the countless efforts to make the trip go smoothly, a family generally hits a few bumps in the road. The family in “Vacation ‘58” just hit a few more extreme bumps than the average families making them appear crazy. However, it is important not to judge this family because ultimately every family is a little crazy.