"The essay provides an analysis of Doris Betts's fourth novel, Heading West (1981). The story of a kidnapped North Carolina librarian focuses on the protagonist's search for a new identity during her involuntary journey to the West. The phenomenon of being on the road is discussed, together with the crucial role of cars in American life and the symbolism of the West in American history. Through examples demonstrating that people mistake the desperate attempts of a woman in danger to get help for the normal behavior of a frustrated wife, the essay shows that the real danger starts only when the car stops. Betts's novel is also compared to Flannery O'Connor's %22A Good Man Is Hard to Find%22 and Wise Blood, where the same theme can be detected." . . . "America in Motion" . . "the Grand Canyon; kidnappings in literature; cars in literature; Flannery O'Connor; Doris Betts; twentieth-century southern literature; twentieth-century American literature"@en . "2008-09-07+02:00"^^ . . "Arbeit, Marcel" . . . "Z(MSM6198959211)" . "Olomouc" . "1"^^ . . "Olomouc" . "15210" . . "1"^^ . . "Univerzita Palack\u00E9ho v Olomouci" . . "When the Car Stops, Trouble Begins: Doris Betts's Heading West"@en . . "When the Car Stops, Trouble Begins: Doris Betts's Heading West" . . "298775" . . . "When the Car Stops, Trouble Begins: Doris Betts's Heading West" . . . "RIV/61989592:15210/10:10217724!RIV11-MSM-15210___" . . . "When the Car Stops, Trouble Begins: Doris Betts's Heading West"@en . "[5605A033EBD7]" . "16"^^ . . "RIV/61989592:15210/10:10217724" . "The essay provides an analysis of Doris Betts's fourth novel, Heading West (1981). The story of a kidnapped North Carolina librarian focuses on the protagonist's search for a new identity during her involuntary journey to the West. The phenomenon of being on the road is discussed, together with the crucial role of cars in American life and the symbolism of the West in American history. Through examples demonstrating that people mistake the desperate attempts of a woman in danger to get help for the normal behavior of a frustrated wife, the essay shows that the real danger starts only when the car stops. Betts's novel is also compared to Flannery O'Connor's %22A Good Man Is Hard to Find%22 and Wise Blood, where the same theme can be detected."@en . "978-80-244-2458-3" . .