The Meaning Throughout the Film
Easy Rider shows the audience how life was for the counterculture at the time across America. In each situation that Fonda and Hopper went through, there was a deeper meaning behind it. Let’s start with the scene where they stop at a ranch to change a flat tire. This scene was a representation of the dying Old West with the pair riding on motorized horses. In the scene where Fonda is changing the tire on his bike inside of a barn, you can see the ranchers in the background, making horseshoes and fitting them on his horse.
Source: Imgur
It’s showing again the meaning behind the film, which is that we all think we are free, but we aren’t. The typical life back then wasn’t really ever free, and the drugs will open up your mind. They felt it was crucial at the time for this symbolism to be repeated throughout the film because no one has put anything out there like this before.