Analysis
Symbols and Tropes
Hero's Journey
Ever notice that every blockbuster film has the same fundamental pieces? A hero, a journey, some conflicts to muck it all up, a reward, and the hero returning home and everybody applauding his or h...
Setting
Atlanta, Georgia, 1948-1973Atlanta, Georgia isn't a small town, but it has the hallmarks of a small Southern town, like everyone being all up in everyone else's business. Miss Daisy's concern about...
Point of View
Over in the Blink of an EyeDriving Miss Daisy is a story told pretty straightforwardly—no flashbacks or flash-forwards, no narrative tricks. It follows Daisy's life from 1948 until 1973. The movi...
Genre
Historical Dramedy Old age. Death. Racism. Fried chicken. These are all weighty topics befitting a Pulitzer Prize-winning play (which Driving Miss Daisy is based on). Conflict is the heart of drama...
What's Up With the Title?
First thing the title tells us? It's not Daisy Werthan—it's Miss Daisy. Right off the bat, we know that she's a fancy southern lady who's got to be addressed properly by her servants. She's defin...
What's Up With the Ending?
Giving ThanksHope you like tearjerking endings. At the end of the film, Miss Daisy's suffering from dementia and confined to an old folk's home. It seems nice for a retirement home. It's clean, bea...
Shock Rating
PGDriving Miss Daisy deals with some dark themes, but it does so with a sunny demeanor. That's the South for you—sugar-coating the dark truth. The film includes one explicit racist statement. It...