Editor's Choice
Why was Mrs. Watson both angry and pleased about her husband's drive to Birmingham?
Quick answer:
Mrs. Watson was angry about her husband's drive to Birmingham because it disregarded her meticulous travel plans and jeopardized their safety by traveling at night in the Deep South. However, she was pleased because the direct drive saved them money on lodging and shortened their travel time significantly.
Mrs. Watson is upset with her husband's decision to drive straight to Birmingham for several reasons. Before their trip, Mrs. Watson meticulously planned the entire trip in her notebook. Mrs. Watson planned when and where the family would stop, what the family would eat, and even alotted a specific amount of time to stay at various rest stops on the way. Her husband's decision to bypass her plans is upsetting and means that she wasted an extensive amount of time planning the trip for nothing. Mrs. Watson also believes that her husband is jeopardizing their safety and well-being by traveling at night in the Deep South. She feels that he is putting their family at risk and is especially disturbed when they are forced to stay at a shady rest stop in Tennessee.
Despite her husband neglecting her extensive travel plans and taking an extreme risk driving at night in...
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the Deep South, Mrs. Watson is happy that they were able to save money and time. By not stopping or staying at motels, the Watson family was able to save a substantial amount of money. Their journey was also significantly shortened because they drove straight to Birmingham.
In the story, Mrs. Watson was a little angry when her husband drove straight through to Birmingham because his unilateral decision had put a dent in all of her 'notebook planning.' This just means that Mrs. Watson, who had the trip all planned out, including the stops the family would make, did not get to experience the journey as she had envisioned. Therefore, this made her upset.
However, she was also secretly pleased, as driving through to Birmingham meant that they did not have to pay for overnight lodging. According to her proud husband, he drove for eighteen straight hours and almost a thousand miles to Birmingham. He also told his family that a song playing on the radio, Big Daddy Was a Truck-Drivin’ Man, further spurred him on. When he got tired, Mr. Watson also remembered his friend, Joe Espinosa, who drove all the way to Texas without stopping.
In due time, the family reached their destination, and everyone greeted Grandma Sands.
Why was Mrs. Watson both angry and pleased about driving straight to Birmingham?
Mrs. Watson had spent a lot of her time planning out the trip, planning what hotels they could stay in, what restaurants where they could eat, and even when they would take their bathroom breaks. Mr. Watson deciding to just drive straight through made Mrs. Watson feel like she had wasted all of her time and energy.
Kenny knows that his father is planning to drive their car, the Brown Bomber, straight through and not follow his mother's plan, but for some reason decides not to tell her.
On the other hand, staying in hotels and eating in restaurants would cost money, and Mrs. Watson was very pleased with the amount of money her family would be saving by driving straight through to Birmingham.