How Did Coney Island Influence America's Rising Culture

Coney Island’s Influence on America’s New Rising Culture The turn of the Twentieth century serves as an age of major sociological change in America. The country experienced a pivotal transformation due to the growth of industry and cities, which gave rise to a need for recreation activities. During this time genteel reformers strived to set the standard for society by founding museums, art galleries, libraries, symphonies, and other establishments that would encourage people to spend their leisure time being constructive. Although the upper and middle classes could appreciate these institutions, the working classes and immigrant groups were left out, thus giving birth to a new form of entertainment, the amusement park. Coney Island, in particular
played an important role of the new mass culture forming in America during this time. Coney Island greatly reflected the new culture emerging from the industrial society and influenced the new behavior of the people of the future urban-industrial age. America, during this time had emerged as an industrial society and this started to quickly change the culture.
A new generation had come along and had forgotten the old values of the genteel reformers and became “eager to respond to amusement in a less earnest cultural mood: more vigorous, exuberant, daring, sensual, uninhibited, and irreverent” (Kasson 6). These cultural changes going on were greatly reflected by Coney Island and the entertainment it offered people. Coney Island provided a place where people could escape the big city and enter “a world apart from ordinary life, prevailing social structures and conditions” (41). Coney Island countered the cities atmosphere by encouraging behavior that would have been considered unacceptable in any other public setting. The amusement parks at Coney Island inspired its visitors to be “temporarily freed from normative demands” (41). When people entered Coney Island their customary roles and status were abandoned and everyone became equal to one another. Coney Island accommodated all people, regardless of their ethnicity or social class standing. This aspect was especially important for new immigrants and working class groups. Coney Island included these groups of people and provided them with “a means to participate in mainstream American culture on an equal footing” (40). This contrasted with the atmosphere of the cities and gave the immigrants and working class a better sense of belonging while they were on the
island. Coney Island introduced new interests into the lives of the people who came to visit. One major change in culture that Coney Island brought about was a new sense of sexual freedom. This aspect of Coney became especially popular with young men and women. During this time young men and women were very restricted by society with regards to forming relationships with one another. They were forced to abide by the ideals of their social class and as a result could never receive the privacy a relationship needs. Coney Island provided a place for single men and women to come and meet each other without the restraint of the social rules. “Coney Island thus offered strikingly visible expression of major shifts in sexual mores traditionally associated with the 1920s but beginning to take place at this time” (42). Many amusements on Coney Island were purposely made to bring people closer together and encouraged intimate physical contact. In Steeplechase Park, the “Barrel of Fun” and the “Blowhole Theater” were two attractions that accomplished the goal of creating intimate contact and exposure. This aspect of social structure on the island compared to that of the city was very different due to the fact that in the city, a man would be reprimanded for “intruding himself upon a lady with whom he was unaquainted” (42). This care free atmosphere lured people to the island and kept them wanting to come back. Coney Island reflected changes in society that were going on in the cities. The parks included different displays that “reflected a fascination with disaster in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a horrible delight in the apprehension that devastating tragedy had both historically and contemporaneously intruded suddenly in daily affairs” (72). Luna Park and Dreamland both incorporated displays of a burning building and people desperately jumping out of windows trying to escape the flames. Aside from the burning building they also had recreations of famous disasters from all over the world. The parks incorporated the new ideas forming in the new culture of the urban industrial society. The rise of technology in America during this time played a big part in Coney Island’s success.
Coney Island had become very popular in a short amount of time and in order for the different parks to compete with each other new technology was in high demand. A major invention that supported the success of the amusement parks was the use of the electric light bulb. Luna Park would transform after dark, “‘Tall towers that had grown dim suddenly broke forth in electric outlines and gay rosettes of color, as the living spark of light traveled hither and tither, until the place was transformed into an enchanted garden’” (66). This aspect of the park heightened visitors stay and made Coney seem more magical than ever. Each park on the island had to compete for the affection of the visitors and Luna’s night display inspired other parks to be bigger and better. Dreamland took Luna’s idea and expanded, topping Luna’s quarter million electric lights with their million electric lights. Another important advance in technology for Coney Island was new means of transportation. The bright lights and amusements to the parks attracted all people and transportation was vital. People came to Coney Island by many different routes, “these included excursion boats, ferryboats, railroads, elevated trains, electric trolleys, subway trains, horsecars, hackney carriages, automobiles, and bicycles” (37). Advances in the nickel trolley ride in 1895 provided a quicker and cheaper way to get to Coney
Island. This allowed many more customers from all different working classes to get the chance to experience the wonder of Coney Island. Coney Island’s use of technology reflected the advances in industries and technological inventions in the cities. Kasson’s interpretation goes into details about the many people that visited Coney Island and also talks about the elaborate parks that make up the island. Kasson explains that young couples were a main group of people that visited the island due to the fact that they could form relationships in public without the rules of their families or social classes. Kasson’s interpretation does however fail to discuss families with children and their experiences at Coney Island. At the turn of the twentieth century American culture dramatically changed as a result of the rising urban industrial society. People in the cities needed leisure activities that could relieve them of their life in the city. Amusement parks provided the perfect escape for all people, regardless of their social status and Coney Island became the main center for this escape. When people entered into Coney Island their behavior immediately changed. The atmosphere allowed visitors to let go of their roles and statuses in the outside world and become equal with their peers. Coney Island encouraged freedom and sexuality and also the chance to experience the new advances in technology. Coney Island reflected many changes going on in society during this period in history and serves major role of the transformation into the twentieth century.