The Hitchhiker

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Write Your Own Radio Thriller”

In this activity, students will identify aspects of the thriller genre in “The Hitchhiker” and then write their own thriller and perform it for the class.

Fletcher’s story is an example of a made-for-radio drama that incorporates aspects of the thriller genre. Working in small groups, identify a list of 5-6 genre characteristics evident in “The Hitchhiker.” Use these to guide your group creation of a short thriller drama. Use the following guiding questions below as you formulate the script with your group:

• Who is the protagonist? Who or what is the antagonist?
• What is the setting?
• What is the main conflict in the story (i.e., what is the element of “thrill” the protagonist is trying to escape from)?
• What sound effects can be employed for listeners?

Be sure to include parts for all team members, including sound design and acting roles. After finalizing your script and rehearsing your production with your team members, perform your radio thriller for your classmates. Analyze the similarity and differences in plot elements and characterization between groups, as well as the incorporation of Fletcher’s themes such as The Inevitability of Death, How Perception Shapes Reality, and The Corruption of the Mundane.

Teaching Suggestion: This Activity invites students to use their creative writing and drama skills. Encourage students to use either Fletcher’s radio thriller or one of the other radio dramas from the Short Activity to shape their own brief narratives. Scripts should be clear and concise, as radio dramas focus less on character development and more on plot.

Differentiation Suggestion: For an approach to this creative activity with a focus on auditory learning, invite students to record an audio of their “radio thriller” with their group. Then, share the audio recordings during class time, analyzing the differences between watching a live performance of the thriller and listening to the audio recording.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Examine and analyze Ronald’s last lines of dialogue on Pages 100-01.

• What happens to Ronald’s identity during his dialogue? (topic sentence)
• Identify 2-3 examples and analyze this change of identity.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, briefly explain how the play’s final lines enhance a reader’s understanding of its opening scene, particularly with regard to the theme of The Inevitability of Death.

2. As the story progresses, Ronald begins to question his surroundings, as well as his perceptions.

• Do you believe Ronald’s assertions that he is capable of clear perceptions? (topic sentence)
• Find 2-3 examples from the text to support your assertion.
• In your conclusion, briefly explain how Ronald’s increasing confusion and panic connect with the larger theme of How Perception Shapes Reality.

3. Fletcher employs irony throughout the script.

• How does the twist impact an audience member’s experience with the entire play? (topic sentence)
• Find and discuss 2-3 examples in which Fletcher obscures her twist so that nothing is revealed until the final page.
• In your conclusion, briefly summarize the way in which the revelation of this twist links to the theme of The Corruption of the Mundane.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Consider the genre possibilities of Fletcher’s radio drama. Is “The Hitchhiker” a ghost story? What elements of a traditional ghost story are present in the play? How does it differ from traditional ghost stories or other haunting/haunted narratives?

2. Throughout the story, Ronald uses narration to describe his physical and temporal setting. What purpose do Ronald’s detailed descriptions of various American landscapes and landmarks serve throughout the story? How might the setting details have changed the experience for a listening audience?

3. Consider when and where Fletcher chose to set her radio drama. What aspects of 1940s American culture are captured by Fletcher’s writing? In what ways have many of these changed since the play’s premiere? What aspects have remained pertinent to modern society?

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Based on the stage direction in the script, which of the following words best describes how the mechanic responds to Ronald’s inquiry regarding hitchhikers?

A) Abhorrence

B) Amusement

C) Alarm

D) Apathy

2. Which of the following words best describes the timeline of the play?

A) Flashback

B) Chronological

C) Nonlinear

D) Flashforward

3. On the second day of his journey, Ronald remarks that “[t]he peaceful Ohio fields, brown with the autumn stubble, lay dreaming in the golden light” (Page 96). Which of the following literary terms does he use in this quote?

A) Personification

B) Paradox

C) Palindrome

D) Parallelism

4. For which of the following purposes does Fletcher primarily employ the secondary characters?

A) To support Ronald’s claims

B) To present the possibility that Ronald is hallucinating

C) To share the importance of safe driving habits

D) To remind listeners the dangers of hitchhikers

5. Which physical feature of the Hitchhiker perplexes Ronald?

A) The spots of fresh raindrops on his jacket

B) The unshaven moustache

C) The bleeding cut on his forearm

D) The cheap and nondescript duffel bag

6. Which of the following sentences describes Ronald’s state of mind during his conversation with the female hitchhiker?

A) He is focused on their conversation.

B) He is preoccupied with the existence of the Hitchhiker.

C) He is interested in developing a relationship with the woman.

D) He is fearful that she will murder him.

7. Which word does the Hitchhiker repeat throughout the play?

A) Hello

B) Goodbye

C) Sorry

D) Death

8. Which of the following words best describes Ronald’s known marital status?

A) Divorced

B) Widowed

C) Single

D) Married

9. Which of the following sentences best describes the prolonged dialogue between Ronald and the telephone operators?

A) It resolves an important concern for the female hitchhiker.

B) It reminds listeners of the importance of technology.

C) It introduces a new character.

D) It builds suspense for the listener.

10. Which of the following phrases best summarizes what the Hitchhiker represents?

A) An allusion to Persephone

B) A metaphor for loneliness

C) An allegory of Hades

D) A personification of death

11. Which of the following words best describes the narrator?

A) Unappreciative

B) Unreliable

C) Unstartled

D) Unperturbed

12. When Ronald’s call is dropped on Page 101, the Operator’s lines are: “Your three minutes are up, sir. (silence) Your three minutes are up, sir. (pause) Your three minutes are up, sir. (fade) Sir, your three minutes are up. Your three minutes are up, sir.” Which of the following literary terms is used in this quote?

A) Allegory

B) Alliteration

C) Allusion

D) Anaphora

13. Which of the following motifs would orient radio audiences with the familiarity of the setting?

A) The Americana landscape

B) The model of the car

C) The description of the hitchhiker

D) The narration with the telephone operator

14. Which of the following is an example of foreshadowing?

A) The operator asking for more money

B) His mother’s concern for his travels

C) The female hitchhiker asking to go to Amarillo

D) The gas station attendant telling him to be careful while driving

15. Which of the following literary devices does Fletcher use to build suspense throughout the script?

A) Paradox

B) Allegory

C) Repetition

D) Metonymy

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Based on the script, how does one understand that the intended audience is a listener as opposed to a reader?

2. What is the narration style of the script? How does this narration style link to the importance of the play?