Analysis of Easy Rider (MOVIE)

Essay by damn_strait_58 June 2004

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Analysis of Easy Rider

The movie "Easy Rider" revolves around two bikers making a trip from Los Angeles to New Orleans, to attend Mardi Gras. The first scene in the film involves the two main characters selling a good amount of cocaine to a man in Rolls Royce. After the drug deal the bikers begin their journey to Mardi Gras, but not before one of them removes his watch and throws it on the ground. I found this indicative of his pursuit of freedom, because time serves only to constrain us. Once on the road you learn that their names are Wyatt and Billy, an obvious reference to Wyatt Earp and Billy the Kid who are considered American legends, as well as outlaws. Wyatt rides a chopper with the stars and stripes on the gas tank and on his helmet while sporting the now cliché leather jacket. Billy is dressed up like a cowboy; he is wearing all tan leather with a wide brim hat.

Also throughout the movie Billy refers to Wyatt as Captain America. All of these things serve to ingrain the belief that they embody the American dream which is to earn enough money to pursue your dream. It just so happens that their dream is freedom, the same belief that led to the creation of the United States.

The two of them go through a series of adventures, first stopping off at a motel where they're rejected, regardless of the glowing vacancy sign. They leave the motel and camp out in the wilderness. At a point, Wyatt's bike gets a flat, and they stop at a farm to fix it. It is at this point that the film makes a comparison of the bikers to cowboys. As Wyatt is fixing his tire a man in...