Epilogue Summary and Analysis

Marcus begins his epilogue with a list of eight headlines that could refer either to material found in rock songs or in legitimate news stories. He closes his study with a quote by Walt Whitman indicating that the author wanted his art to describe the experience of American life more than it determined the direction of the lives of Americans. Marcus believes the artists included in his book achieved this goal set forth by Whitman. In fact, he believes these artists even fulfill the ambition of engaging in a battle between art and politics, a battle which Marcus seems to indicate is merely a part of being American.