Chapter 3: Sleeping in the Snake Pit Summary and Analysis

Sonny was only nine-years old when the 1947 Hollister motorcycle fracas occurred. It began as an American Motorcyclist Association racing competition and got out of hand with the participation of some outlaw clubs like BoozeFighters who got drunk and rowdy. Bikers were arrested for lewd behavior and public drunkenness. The incident was the first of its kind involving a biker club. The Marlon Brando movie, "The Wild One," was made in 1954 and was based on the Hollister, California, incident. Some biker clubs disbanded after the movie claiming that it ruined their reputations. The movie had a huge impact on Sonny. In particular, the featured bad boy played by Lee Marvin was especially appealing to him. One good thing about joining the Army was that Sonny was gone when most of his friends...