"The Hitchhiker" (Late 1930’s) PowerPoint by: Kevin Shue, Jacob Stahlgren, And Andrew Riviello

Lucille Fletcher March 28, 1912 — August 31, 2000 Born in Brooklyn, New York

CHARACTERS Antagonist Protagonist Minor Characters Phantom Hitchhiker (Voice) Protagonist Ronald Adams Minor Characters Adams’s Mother Orson Welles Mechanic Henry, a sleepy man Woman’s Voice (Henry’s wife) Mrs. Whitney Hitchhiker Girl Operator Long-distance Operator Albuquerque Operator New York Operator

Exposition 6 Days/nights Route 66 Brooklyn, New York to Gallup, New Mexico 1930’s Exposition

Complications Ronald barely misses hitting the man on the bridge Picks up the girl hitchhiker in Oklahoma When Ronald “hears” and “sees” the phantom The girl Ronald picked up could not see or hear the phantom When he talks to the mechanic at the gas station about hitchhikers When Ronald starts to see the phantom more frequently (every other mile)

“HALL-OOO….HALL-OOOO….” CLIMAX WHEN RONALD DECIDES TO CALL HOME “HALL-OOO….HALL-OOOO….” -”Hitchhiker” page 663

Falling Actions Mrs. Whitney tells Ronald that he was dead Ronald finds that his mother was in the hospital Operator ends the call with Mrs. Whitney because of lack of money

Literary Devices

Mystery Who is the phantom and why is it following Ronald?

The phantom following Ronald foreshadows his death. Foreshadowing The phantom following Ronald foreshadows his death.

Ronald thinks he is alive when he is really dead. Situational Irony Ronald thinks he is alive when he is really dead.

Diction The way the people speak in the radio play shows where they were born and live.