Notes From The Midnight Driver

“I know that sometime soon, the boops will become one long beep, the mountains will crumble into a flat line, and I will be finished with my work here. I will be free.”

In its initial appearance in the text, this quote seems to imply that Alex is searching for some kind of freedom from his time with the old man, Sol, in the hospital bed. Yet through the repetition of this section in the conclusion, it becomes clear that this moment is a much more significant event in the novel: Here is where Alex processes the deep loss of his friend and mentor. Shortly after the second appearance of this description, Alex expresses his intentions to continue working at the nursing home, illustrating that while he might be “free” of Sol, he is not actually considering himself “finished” with his work. 

“I was fully convinced on that particular Friday evening last September that stealing my mom’s car and storming my dad’s house was a brilliant plan.”

Alex illustrates his immaturity and lack of rational decision-making when he chooses to get drunk and take his mother’s car to go surprise his father, who has been dating Alex’s third-grade teacher. Alex’s sarcastic tone comes through in this section, as well as his narrative style: He consistently reflects on his poor decision-making through commentary about what he chose to do. This consistent reflection foreshadows Alex’s eventual growth as a character into someone who can think things through more clearly before taking action.