Whaddayacallit? 4000 Miles by Amy Herzog.

In 4000 Miles, they tend to interrupt each other a lot. This befits the play because there are a lot of elements in the plot that “interrupt life.” One example of this is Micah’s death. Though cliché, his life was interrupted by death. For Leo, he seemed to be putting life off by going biking across America, never getting a job. He interrupted his own life, again and again probably because he didn’t want it to start again. Leo’s relationships were also interrupted. His relationship with his mother became distraught after he kissed his sister. He left home and avoided going back. His relationship with his sister was also affected because he made her feel like she wasn’t his sister. Because she was adopted this bond was fragile to begin with. Leo’s ex-girlfriend Beck also disrupted their relationship by breaking up with him. Another possible motif is the act of characters in the play speaking loudly, especially when they don’t have to. This motif also occurs a lot in life. They do this because Vera wears a hearing aid. However when she says, “what?” she is usually asking for clarification, not repetition. Another motive might be how the text almost never takes place in two consecutive days. The most noticeable motif in the play, however is the repetition of Vera forgetting her words and repeating the phrase “whaddayacallit.” Vera can’t seem to get her ideas together, or find the words to express herself.