"We BLEW It"
It is the end of the road; it is the end of being on the road; it is the end of wanting to be on the road.(Laderman 77)
Easy Rider is not just a story of two young Americans hitting the road like many other wide-eyed Americans of the time. They may have gone out looking for America like many other had, but Wyatt and Billy’s journey has many twists and turns that eventually lead them right back to where they came from. Wyatt and Billy are lost when they start out their journey. In search of ‘true’ America, they travel to many different rural country sides that appear to temporarily soothe their hunger for American independence and free-living. However, as their travels come to an end Wyatt says to Billy, “We blew it.” Wyatt isn’t referring to the many illegal acts they had engaged in throughout their journey; killing George, taking LSD, selling drugs. Wyatt finally comes to the realization that their hopeful journey has only lead to disappointment. They had not found America on their road to New Orleans, and perhaps they had just not been looking hard enough.
The movie changes dramatically after that last campfire scene. The lighting in darker, the music is gloomy, and the characters no longer possess the desire for the road. The ending where both Wyatt and Billy are killed shows that they had lost their own game. They were not able to be happy with their lives as Americans.