"Bicycle Love"

I understood the theme of "Bicycle Love" to be pilgrimage. The idea of searching for something when you feel as though you've lost everything, going through an experience that changes you and enlightens you.

One line that stood out to me was, "'Un pélerinage,' he said. You're on a pilgrimage." There are several French phrases in this piece that Goodspeed doesn't translate, but this one she does, and it becomes a hard-hitting sentence because of it. It, like her reason for this journey, starts out mysterious (for those who don't speak/read French), then is suddenly clear and understood.

Another line was, "I started to cry when I told her that I didn't want to go back to the United States." I understood what she meant perfectly; being in Iowa instead of Idaho has significantly changed me for the better, and the thought of going back "home" terrifies me sometimes.