Daisy Haites

Hastings uses driving as a symbol of personal autonomy. At the start of the novel, Daisy tells Christian that one of her greatest dreams is to learn how to drive and to have the freedom to take herself wherever she chooses. Daisy has the “luxury” of a chauffeur—her bodyguard Miguel shepherds her from one place to another—but the arrangement makes 20-year-old Daisy feel powerless and trapped. When Christian teaches her how to drive, Daisy feels empowered. Behind the wheel, Daisy drives “ultra carefully, but smoother than [she’d] imagined,” which makes her feel “pretty pleased with [her]self” (50). Learning a new skill allows her to develop self-pride and feel greater control over her life.

The imagery Hastings uses to describe Daisy and Christian’s driving lesson foreshadows Daisy’s decision to leave her family business at the novel’s end. Although Daisy is an adult, her atypical circumstances hold her back from taking control of her life in a typical fashion. Learning to drive represents a first step towards establishing personal autonomy and exercising her agency. Her ability to drive conveys her ability to learn new things, to take risks, and to make choices for herself.