The Intermingling of Change and Continuity

Episode VI of Ken Burns’ Country Music documentary covers the years from 1968-72, a time in American history well known for its tumult and cultural change. The Vietnam War, Civil Rights Movement, 1968 Democratic National Convention, and more all shook the nation to its core, dividing generations, and perhaps even mirroring our current era in some ways. One of the opening quotes within this section of the documentary resonates deeply with this sentiment: “The gulf between generations sometimes seemed too big to be bridged” (Burns 0:03:40). This quote has rung true not just throughout the documentary, but also throughout the works we have explored during this course. George Jones was a man abused in his childhood by his alcoholic father, but in trying to escape his ugly past, he ended up right back at the bottle’s mercy. Bob Dylan was an outcast in his own genre, rejecting (and thereby revolutionizing) the traditions within country music. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie struggled with her grandmother’s vision for her life, which hinged on security over everything; this is why her marriage to Logan did not work out — because it was born from this “antiquated” viewpoint. Tarwater experiences his own generational rift, having been raised by a religious fanatic in his great uncle, whose teachings he ultimately rejects by burning down the late, self-declared prophet’s home. Yet, “his uncle’s face was so familiar to him that he might have seen it everyday of his life” (O’Connor). And when he is asked about the elderly zealot, he responds “My great-uncle is dead and burnt” (O’Connor), which readers know is by Tarwater’s own doing. Tarwater’s character is meant to represent a contradiction of sorts. He goes by his last name, representing a continuity. However, his actions bely this, as they represent more of a rebellious nature. This is mirrored by the arc of bluegrass music, as it is presented within Burns’ sixth episode. It is recalled that bluegrass never experienced “pop-like” success, but that it was a rather steady genre in its success. Thus, while it was artificially separated from other country music by large record labels and distributors, it also represented the proverbial backbone of country itself. The contradiction present here is that even though bluegrass had its very own history and traditions by this point, its main audience consisted of the rebels/counter culture of the time — mostly youngs folks and college students. This reveals a deep truth about the intermingling of change and continuity.