Easy Rider
When Billy suggests that they are ready for retirement in Florida, and Wyatt responds “we blew it,” they are both, in a sense, accepting and admitting their defeat. They are defeated in the sense that they started their journey searching for a deeper spiritual purpose, a way “out” of regular society and its expectations and constraints. They do not want to be a part of the “man’s” ideals and rules, but they come to realize that, for them, this is not an option. They witnessed and briefly experienced a truly alternative lifestyle was like while visiting the commune, and realized it was not for them – the struggle and difficulties facing those that chose to go against the grain and live outside society were not the ideal conditions under which they longed to live. “We blew it” is more symbolic than their trek to Mardi Gras; it encompasses the disillusionment of many that strove for the counterculture lifestyle. As much as they wanted to be the ultimate “nonconformists” they also didn’t want to struggle to survive. They realized to live the good life, to partake in the luxuries of life, such as retiring in Florida, they had to succumb to the pressures of society. Retiring in Florida is certainly against the counterculture ideal, and this is what he means by “we blew it.” Both Wyatt and Billy are recognizing that their journey for ultimate individualism and freedom only awakened their realism – it is almost impossible, in our world and society, to live completely outside of the grips of the corporate, conformist American way of life.