This week the class had discussions about oral prose narratives. One example of a prose narrative that was discussed was a legend. A legend is supposed to be about true events that took place and these particular events that did take place are meant to be a warning to those who will listen. In addition, legends have typically been repeated, in some cases for years, in hopes that people will be advised from the warning the legend speaks of. There are several types of legends, but the ones I find the most interesting are the urban legends. An urban legend is “a form of modern folklore consisting of stories usually believed by their tellers to be true.” There is a popular interest in these types of legends that has led to a large amount of popular media focusing on these legends. There are numerous television shows and books that have come out within the last fifty years. One of the first of its kind was the television show “The Twilight Zone,” which debuted in 1959. I did not grow up with this show, but it is one of my favorites nonetheless. A popular urban legend is about the vanishing hitchhiker. “The Twilight Zone” had an episode about this legend, with a few differences. This episode begins with a woman who is traveling from New York to Los Angeles (by car no doubt). She continues to see the same man over and over again on her drive. She becomes incredibly frightened and is unsure what to do. She eventually stops for gas and meets a Navy sailor, who is trying to reach San Diego, Ca. She tells him she would take him and is quite happy to have his company. While they are driving, the woman sees this mysterious hitchhiker again and again and begins to drive sporadically. The sailor says he wants to leave and she tells him that she likes him a lot and would like to go out with him. She is doing everything she can so that he will not leave her alone. This is where this video clip begins…
This shows that some urban legends never die.
Great video! Yes, the vanishing hitchhiker story is probably one of the most well-known urban legends in the US.
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