White Males on the Road
"Sexism and racism serve as an access point to conservatinve ideological framework, because these views reinforce and derive from its other inperialist/capitalist values, which can be summarized as freedom to roam for the priviledged white male; mobility and opportunism; and gloried individuality and conquest" (43, Laderman). Being white and male, both Captian American and Billy took the road very easily. They left in search of something beyond the conservative society that surrounded them back home. They road which took them away from it all became very rural and showed little to no signs of human interaction. The little human interaction they got was from a mixed white and indian family and a pack of hippies. They family that they ran into had a wonderfully stable farm and were settled in the rural area. Captian America kept commenting on what a nice situation they had...away from it all...from all other people. The people that they meet along the way are very symbolic of the American views of the time. The mixed white and Idian family were settled, they weren't on the road, showing that the road primarily a masculine place and dominated by white culture. The two men also run into many women on the way. They way they treat the women is sybolic as well. They take out their sexual frustrations and they end up becoming ditractions for the men on the road. They two men set out in search of an alternative lifestyle but end up supporting many American ideologies instead.