Bicycle Love Response

I think this story deals a lot with self-discovery. In Goodspeed's case, this self-discovery is brought about by traveling alone through an unfamiliar land. She describes being scared and uncertain at the beginning of her trip and becoming confident in herself as she went further in her three-week endeavor. She writes "He paused and asked why I was riding alone and then answered for me while I was thinking. 'Un pélerinage,' he said. You're on a pilgrimage." This line stood out to me because it makes this stranger she met seem very wise. It seems to be validating to have a stranger acknowledge and respect the journey of another stranger. Another line that stood out to me was "I wrote directions on my arm so that I wouldn't need to consult the map." At the beginning of her story, she'd look at a map and get a lot of help from local people. While she still got help, writing the directions on her arm makes her seem to be more confident and independent in her ventures. Goodspeed, through this story, paints a story of becoming confident and comfortable with who she is, learning to live in her own skin.