Goodspeed’s essay expresses themes of self-discovery and personal growth through utilization of rhetorical devices such as personification and metaphors. Goodspeed emphasizes the narrator’s dynamic character as there is extreme contrast between her relationship with bikes in the beginning and end of the essay. While she initially had “retired both the helmet and the bike,” she ultimately came to feel “empowered” by the mode of transportation. This is exemplified in Goodspeed’s metaphor writing, “The bike and I were a team. A couple,” personifying and comparing the bike to a person with whom she could conquer anything. These phrases represent her growth from a naïve, “afraid” girl to a courageous, independent woman; this shift was due to her “pilgrimage” in France after which she stated, “I felt forever changed by it.” This trip created dramatic changes in the narrator’s attitude and character as she made discoveries about herself, ultimately growing from them.
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