The Body - People in 1960 #1

Stephen King introduces many figures reflecting 1960's America. I didn't know many of them, as it was my first time to read about the American culture of 1960's. These are the pictures of the figures. I felt that America is, indeed, a large and diverse country.
1. Cowboys - Lone Ranger and Cisco Kid?
 On the page 328, Chris attempts to joke Gordie with his father's gun. He hurries Gordie to come along and says, "You wanna be the Lone Ranger or the Cisco Kid?" Then, who is the Lone Ranger and the Cisco Kid?

These images match up with what Chis wants to try with the guns. These two characters are typical icons for American Old Western Cultures. In 1960's, many movies and TV shows shared similar plots about cowboys and native Americans; in fact,  the Old Western story must have been the prevailing pattern of hero's journey in 1960's.

2. Baseball heroes - Micky Mantle and Roger Maris

 On the page 339, the boys talks about the common things that boys are interested in such as cars, baseball teams, and TV shows. These two baseball players, Micky Mantle and Roger Maris, are the legendary heroes in Yankees.

Micky Mantle is considered as the best switch hitter of all the time. He won American League MVP titles for 3 times and still has many World Series records. Roger Maris was a legendary right fielder who made a record of 61 home runs when he was in the Yankees.

3. A Daredevil! - Evel Kneivel

Evel Kneivel appears when the grown-up Gordie talks about himself. Gordie went to Snake River Canyon to watch Evel's motorcycle jump. This eccentric hobby(?) was criticized by Gordie's wife comparing Gordie with the ancient Romans who indifferently enjoyed cruel matches in Colosseum. When I first read this part, I thought Evel Kneivel would be imaginary figure, but he was real. Evel Kneivel was an American "daredevil" who tried 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps. He tried to jump over Snake River Canyon, but failed and was injured severly. The reason for presenting the real stroy of Evel Kneivel maybe that he was so famous that he could represent the American pop culture.

MORE THINGS COMING UP!