The Bison as Symbol in America the Beautiful?

The Bison: A Recurring Motif

In Blythe Roberson’s America the Beautiful?, the bison appears at key moments during her solo road trip across U.S. national parks. More than just an animal, the bison becomes a concrete symbol that carries the weight of personal fear, historical genocide, environmental tension, and the paradox of mass tourism. The motif recurs in three distinct contexts: a staredown at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, historical context in Wind Cave’s backstory, and a traffic jam in Yellowstone. Each recurrence shifts its meaning, forcing Roberson—and the reader—to confront uncomfortable truths about America’s relationship with nature, Indigenous peoples, and the limits of individual freedom.

What the Bison Literally Is

The bison (Bison bison) is the largest land mammal in North America, capable of weighing more than a ton, standing six feet tall, running forty miles per hour, and jumping fifteen feet. Park literature at Theodore Roosevelt National Park describes it as “the most ferocious animal in North America.” Roberson learns these facts after a bison comes within inches of her parked Prius. She initially finds bison unremarkable—“I don’t find bison particularly thrilling” she admits—but her primal instincts override her boredom when the animal locks eyes with her.

Where the Bison Recurs

The bison first appears in Chapter 3, “Somewhat Complex Flesh Machine,” at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. After a day of reflecting on Roosevelt’s conservation legacy and gender roles, Roberson sits in her car at the campsite. A bison approaches and begins chewing grass next to her fender. She takes a photo; the bison stops, raises its head, and stares. This encounter is brief but visceral.

In Chapter 4, “This One’s Hard,” the bison reappears not as a living animal but as a historical weapon. Roberson visits Wind Cave National Park and learns that the U.S. government orchestrated the mass slaughter of bison in the 1870s. The policy aimed to starve Plains Indian nations who depended on bison for survival. Figures: from an estimated 75 million bison in the 1600s to fewer than a thousand by 1900. This genocide cleared the land for white settlement and, eventually, national parks.

The motif returns in Chapter 8, “Where Do They Put the Bison at Night?” (chapter 9 of the book). In Yellowstone, Roberson is stuck in a “buffalo jam”—a traffic jam caused by bison. A single tourist stops to photograph a bison, causing a three-hour standstill. Frustrated, Roberson watches hundreds of idling cars spew exhaust, and her respect for the animal is replaced by irritation at human behavior.

How the Meaning Changes

The bison’s meaning evolves from a personal encounter with nature’s indifference to a systemic critique of American conquest and consumer tourism.

Theodore Roosevelt encounter: The staring bison embodies the wild’s refusal to comply with human narratives. Roberson feels fear and awe, realizing the animal could easily flip her car. She tries to apologize with eye contact, but the bison simply walks away. This moment underscores the theme of freedom vs. collective responsibility: the wild is free from human concerns, yet that very freedom inspires both terror and admiration.

Historical slaughter: In Chapter 4, the bison becomes a symbol of erasure. By connecting the bison’s near-extinction to the forced removal of Indigenous peoples, Roberson shows that national parks are built on stolen land. The bison here represents what was sacrificed for “America’s best idea.” This ties into the whiteness of national parks and the need for environmental critique.

Yellowstone traffic jam: The bison now symbolizes the paradox of preservation vs. tourism. Roberson notes the irony: people travel across the world to see bison, then create a massive traffic jam that damages the ecosystem. Her own role as a consumer of nature becomes morally uncomfortable. The bison is no longer awe-inspiring but a prop for selfies, revealing how capitalism reduces nature to entertainment.

Character and Theme Connections

The bison motif is tightly linked to Roberson’s character development. As a solo woman traveler, she is constantly aware of gendered fears (the “Don’t Get Murdered Industrial Complex”). The bison encounter in Theodore Roosevelt triggers thoughts about her own freedom—whether she is “sleeping with both the drummer and the bass player” or heading toward marriage and children. The bison’s indifference mirrors the indifference of the patriarchal society she critiques, yet also models a way of being beyond human constructs.

Her friend Greg, who works at Yellowstone, provides a counterpoint. He experiences the park not as a tourist but as a local, soaking in employee hot springs while listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd. Greg’s presence highlights the travel ethics and authenticity theme: what does it mean to truly live in a place versus passing through?

The bison also connects to the environmental critique that runs throughout the book. Roberson criticizes the National Park Service for prioritizing tourism over preservation, citing Mission 66, road development, and concessionaire exploitation. The buffalo jam becomes a microcosm of this tension: people love nature to death.

Study Questions

1. How does the bison encounter at Theodore Roosevelt differ from the bison in the Yellowstone traffic jam?

At Theodore Roosevelt, Roberson faces a single bison that stares her down. She is alone, vulnerable, and forced to acknowledge the animal’s power. The encounter is intimate and terrifying, prompting reflection on gender, freedom, and mortality. In Yellowstone, bison are seen in huge numbers; the traffic jam is caused by one tourist’s photo op. Roberson’s reaction is anger at the crowds and her own complicity. The first encounter emphasizes the individual’s place in wild nature; the second highlights the collective failure of mass tourism.

2. What does the history of bison slaughter reveal about the creation of national parks?

The government’s deliberate extermination of bison was a genocidal strategy to remove Plains Indians from their land. Once the land was cleared, it could be designated as “wilderness” for white tourists. Roberson argues that national parks “exist to preserve natural wonders” but also propagate a Eurocentric history that ignores this violence. The bison slaughter shows that parks are not innocent—they are products of theft and erasure.

3. How does Roberson’s attitude toward bison change by the end of her trip, and what does that say about her overall journey?

Roberson starts with mild disinterest (“I don’t find bison particularly thrilling”), then experiences awe and terror in Theodore Roosevelt, and finally annoyance in Yellowstone. By the book’s conclusion, she has shifted from individual adventure-seeking to a focus on collective responsibility. The bison’s declining novelty mirrors her growing awareness that freedom is not about personal gratification but about caring for the land and its people. She ends her trip realizing that deeper freedom lies in love and action for others.

4. Why does Roberson call the bison “the most ferocious animal in North America” and then add “(Laughing, but respectfully)”?

The line is a direct quote from park literature, which Roberson mocks gently. She laughs because the “ferocious” label reminds her of the gendered warnings she receives about travel safety. Yet she adds “respectfully” because she has just been stared down by a one-ton animal that could kill her. The laughter is self-deprecating, acknowledging human attempts to control nature through language. The respect is genuine, recognizing the bison’s true power beyond our narratives.