Easy Rider Analysis

Throughout history there has always been a recurring theme of change, how the individuals in each generation deal with this change sets the precedent for culture. For the most part, humans fear and dread change; the unknown nature of change has the ability to expose humanity’s greatest weaknesses and strengths, and fears. The examination of the two films Easy Rider and Old Joy is for the purpose of analyzing how they represented their corresponding cultures, and how their cultures compare to one another, though set in different times, these films have surprising overlaps and accurate reflections of their respective time period.
Beginning in chronological order, Easy Rider takes place during a pivotal time in American history: The late 1960’s.

The two main characters, Wyatt and Billy travel by motorcycle across the country with the intent of going to Mardi Gras. They live lives that veer from the normal “set” path, and along the way, they meet people similar to they are: A group of Hippies living in a commune, a man who owns his own land with his large family, and George Hansen, an alcoholic, pot-smoking lawyer. Though throughout their journey, they also encounter people who don’t approve of the way they look or speak, representative of the reality that certain people weren’t comfortable with the change in youth culture, a shift from well-mannered children to a group of rebellious

Similarly, much of both movies focus on the scenery of nature around them, and tough different, the attention to the landscape is no small detail. It attempts to forge a connection between the viewer in the movie, almost placing the viewer into the movie, letting them see what the characters see and feel. Though almost opposite landscapes; the barren desert landscapes of Easy Rider and the lush forests of Old Joy, the convention of the scenes is intentional- an interesting overlap between the two films.
Albeit decades apart, Old Joy and Easy Rider feature the main characters smoking marijuana. The times that the movies are set in, are what separates the meaning between the usage. During the time of Easy Rider, marijuana was considered taboo by many, and the act of smoking was not only for the effects of the drug, but for the rebellion that came with it. The use of the drug in Old Joy has a different meaning behind it, for the character’s intent, it was to simply relax and revel in the nature and nostalgia of the