Kasson, Gorky, and Lorca

In Kasson's writings about Coney Island, he says that the rides were "designed to throw people off balance, literally and imaginatively... and momentarily overwhelm them" (81). People went to Coney Island to escape their lives by experiencing the rides they had there. As someone who has been to Coney Island many times, I can say that the fun lies in the rides and the rides only. Walking around through the crowds and masses of people is as tiresome, painful, and boring as Gorky and Lorca both describe. There is a duality to Coney Island though, in that fun does exist in escaping reality on the rides, but there is a price of suffering patrons must undergo before they can have access to their enjoyment. Gorky and Lorca are both right that it can be immensely boring, but Kasson shows the side of Coney Island that can be exhilarating. Clearly Gorky and Lorca never rode the Cyclone.