At Yankee Stadium-Part One, Chapter 3

     "Cultish" and "mass crowds" are not words that one would typically use to describe weddings, but they are certainly appropriate for Karen's wedding.  When I think of a wedding, I imagine a special, personal, sometimes intimate event.  I think of close friends and family coming together to celebrate a special union, not parents searching with binoculars just to catch a glimpse of their daughter--"like looking for the body of a loved one after a typhoon (9).  The theme of the individual vs. mass identity manifests itself in Karen's thoughts.  Just as the reader gets wrapped up with the image of this huge, chanting crowd, we get a glimpse into Karen's thoughts: "It will take some getting used to, a husband named Kim.  She has known girls named Kim since she was a squirt in a sunsuit....My husband, as weird as it sounds" (16).  Her thoughts remind us of the individual identity within the crowds.  The last paragraph of "At Yankee Stadium" also reminded us of the individuals within a crowd.  It pointed out all of the daily activities of individuals that get lost within the hustle and bustle of crowds.  But this section also pointed out how crowds can cause excitement--"He leads them out past religion and history, thousands weeping now, all arms high.  They are gripped by the force of a longing.  They know at once, they feel it, all of them together, a longing deep in time, running in the earthly blood" (15-16).  The people are more emotional and worked up when they are a part of a crowd, and their chant becomes more powerful.  People tend to feel more empowered when they are a part of something bigger than themselves, and moved to do something or make a difference.  They are more hopeful and things seem more exciting.  Perhaps that is why "the future belongs to crowds" (16).