coney island

One of the biggest differences I found between Kasson's historical piece and the work of Gorky and Lorca was their opinions on why the people of that era needed amusement parks. Kasson's argument is that the constricting Victorian society was slowly beginning to relax, and that people went to places like Coney Island to escape the monotony of their lives, and the barriers of society. However, both Borky and Lorca suggest that despite appearances, amusement parks were only another layer of control that society had over the public, that certain "amusements" were really subliminal messages over religion and morality, and that people left just as hopeless as they had come. Klasson's background on the times was very insightful because it provided a sense of perspective for us to view these events through. On one hand, we can see that historically, the birth of amusement parks could be seen as a defining point for modernity. On the other hand, Gorky and Lorca were writing from the immediate perspective of one living in the times, and their more cynical view shows that it wasn't completely positive. By comparing their creative works with history, we get more of the full picture.