Henry Cole Baxter

2/22/17

UWRT 1102

Major Assignment #2

The show I will be using is called hell on wheels. This show revolves

around a man named Cullen Bohanon. Cullen is a veteran of the civil war and

he was a general in the confederate army. This show takes place during the

industrial revolution and Cullen plays a huge part in it. Basically, Cullens

wife and son were killed by union soldiers during Shermans march. After the

war he takes revenge on the union unit that killed his wife and son. This

brings him out west looking for the soldiers that did it. He is a wanted

fugitive for killing these men but turns out, the railroad needs him too much

for him to be arrested. He ends up running the south pacific and central

pacific railroads and becoming a huge factor in the success of these railroads

because of his intelligence and his leadership skills. This man goes through

hardships that most would even think about and he always gets back up on

his feet. He becomes something from nothing and becomes one of the most

important men in America at this time. Even winning favor from president

Grant, who happened to fight for the union.

The episode I want to use is one where he first gets out west and is

sentenced to death for the crimes he committed. He then escapes the locked

railroad cart that he is locked up in and makes a bee line for the president of

the railroads cart. He goes in and is met by the man with a gun pointed right
at him. He explains in that very moment why he would be a good foreman on

the railroad and makes a deal with the president of the railroad. All of his

crimes are washed away and he becomes the new head engineer and

foreman of the railroad in a matter of seconds. His fate was flipped upside

down in a matter of minutes. Although this is just a fictional show, it does

have a large amount of implicit meanings about the American identity all

throughout the five seasons that this show lasted. As I stated before, the

episode that I chose is probably one of the most important episodes of the

whole show. This man is minutes from being hanged and is locked up in a jail

cart in the middle of the wild west when he breaks free, makes his way to the

presidents rail cart and makes a plea for his life. Within a matter of minutes,

not only does he not get hanged, but he is now the boss of all of the men

that were previously trying to hang him. To me, this is a perfect example of

the American identity. This is an example of freedom and the ability to make

something from nothing in this country we live in today. This show is the

perfect representation of American identity and what that may mean for

someone. The reason that I say that is not because I think that Cullen

Bohanon is an example of American identity himself, but because his

personal version of American identity in this show is strong and simple. This

specific episode was the one that I decided to use because it is the beginning

of his adventure and this is when he is introduced to what will become his

whole life in the near future of the show. Cullen Bohanons American identity

is the railroad that he has been tasked with building all the way to
Sacramento California. Completing that railroad is his number one priority in

life after everything that he went through. The railroad is a perfect example

for Cullens American identity because of the significance that the railroad

actually had on the country itself. This is during the industrial revolution so

the railroad is a new exciting and revolutionary idea and project that will

change the way of life for everyone in the country substantially. Cullen has

put his blood sweat and tears into this railroad and at the end of the day,

that is the only thing that he holds onto and that is what keeps him up and

moving every day and gives him purpose in this world. Throughout the show,

he falls in love with another woman and as soon as they are about to settle

down and build a family, she is killed by an indian raid. After that happens,

he is captured by Mormons, he then impregnates one of the elders

daughters and ends up marrying her. She later dies from a bad case of the

small pox along with his son. All the friends he made end up dying as well

along the way from sickness, Indians, or railroad accidents. At the end of the

day, Cullen is left with nothingexcept for the railroad. That is why this story

gives a perfect example of American identity because at the end of the day,

he has nothing in his life and the only thing he truly cares about anymore is

the railroad. He becomes a very cold man with only one thing on his mind,

which is finishing the railroad. He feels that after everyone who has given

their life while trying to build this railroad, he is compelled to finish it for

them and for himself.

 To many people, the definition of the American identity is the things in

life that you love and that you believe binds you to this country as an

American. So, for Cullen, these things may be the confederacy because he

was a general for the south during the civil war, so for him, being a soldier

for the confederacy was something that he felt strongly about. Maybe it

wouldnt be considered the American dream because he was technically

fighting against the U.S. but I still think this can be considered a major

identity for him that has major historical ties to America as a nation. The

railroad because he has devoted his life to finishing it. But the main factor for

Cullens American identity I think is the idea of a happy and healthy family

living on the land of this great country and having the freedom to live in

peace. Throughout the show, he tries three different times to make this wish

come true, but every time he tries to settle down and start a family, he is

met with tragedy. He even explains in the show that all he wants in life is to

settle down with a wife and children and start a family the right way, on a

nice piece of land with a big house built with his own hands. None of this can

be made possible without first finishing the railroad that he set out to build.

And that is the American identity of Cullen Bohanon.