Space, Time and Acceptance on the Rural Road
The rural road in the Straight Story operates as a space for realization, revelation and actualization in ways that the other films and roads we have witnessed do not. Alvin travels along this road that provides space, time and acceptance.
When he first takes off on his lawn mower the camera shows only cornfields and blue skies ahead of him. As the lawn mower cruises along and we watch the yellow lines of the road pass by the audience can’t help but think that Alvin has plenty of time and space to become the man he wants to be. Compare this to the film Thelma and Louise when the two women find themselves surrounded by semi-trucks after Harlan is killed. Thelma and Louise are confined by society and must flee the police, never getting time to slow down and think.
The friendly and accepting rural folks that Alvin crosses paths with help him along his quest. They provide opportunities for him to realize just who he wants to be and what is truly important. In the movie Set it Off the women are treated poorly by the police. After the first bank robbery Strode holds Frankie accountable just for living in the wrong part of town. As she leaves he says “she’s involved… I want everything you have on her.� This distrust and unfriendly behavior is part of the reason these women get together and rob banks.