Easy Rider essays

Easy Rider essays Easy rider characterizes the spirit of the sixties by involving freedom, dreams, and struggle. Peter Fonda plays Wyatt a 20-something purpose seeker along with his best friend Billy (Dennis Hopper), a true Californian hippy. Like many others these two friends set out on a trip to discover true America; to discover them selves. Funding their trip was a quick drug deal with some Mexican dealers. The main message of this film is that people are scared to live or to see others live. That difference threatens people and their action is to get angry and violent, as the film expressed numerous times. Violent acts portrayed by common comfortable country people. This film is relevant today, because of that. Everywhere you go you are going to find similar people that are impartial to change and feel threatened by freedoms of others and how others express it. Jack Nicholsons character, George Hansen, a part time lawyer/alcoholic said it very well, They can talk to you and talk to you about individual freedom but once they see a free individual it scares them. Wyatt and Billy met George in jail after they illegally joined a parade through a small town in Louisiana. Georges quote is ironic considering that just a few hours after he said it he ends up beaten to death from expressing his individualism. I think this movie was pivotal because it didnt sugar coat the true events that took place in the sixties. People were angry and they acted on it, people struggled for food and struggled for purpose in there lives and the film portrayed that clearly. The film had a good response on myself because it broke down the cliche sixties stoner happy decade by focusing on the violence and anger that also occurred in that time. The theme was emotionally impressing to understand the truth about the sixties. Easy Rider was typically well received by younger society; mainly because of the heavy drug content. Bu ...