"A truly disturbing homeless drifter"
"In Varda's and Bonnaire's iconoclastic interpretations of the French Female Lead, Mona is ugly and disheveled; she has no car nor any impulse to drive, a truly disturbing homeless drifter (Laderman 267). "
In this quote Laderman seems to highlight both a similarity and a difference regarding genders and the road film as portrayed in Easy Rider and Vagabond. Although Mona is a woman and therefore inherently different from the male lead characters of Easy Rider, she does possess similarities to them. As Laderman describes her, she is "ugly and disheveled," a characteristic that is traditionally attributed to men moreso than to women. This, as well as a drug use and the fact that she is usually seen in the company of men, aligns her with Billy and Wyatt. It also seems to be the only thing in common between Vagabond and Easy Rider.
In their film, Billy and Wyatt possess both a way of traveling (their motorcycles), as well as a purpose. The same can not be said of Mona. She is constantly on her own, hitchhiking the entire way with no consistent conveyance, and not once does it become clear what her goal is in traveling. Billy and Wyatt had both something they were escaping as well as something to escape to, but Mona only seems to have the former. Is this indicating that men are more goal-oriented while women are more about the journey? Maybe. It is not entirely apparent.