The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test Lesson Plan

What does the bus symbolize not only to the group but to the larger society?

The bus is a massive visual representation of the Merry Pranksters and the counterculture they are creating. By travelling in a bus that illustrates their chaotic existence, they're coming out of hiding in the rural, isolated La Honda commune. This symbolizes a bold, new type of counterculture that doesn't operate underground or privately. Rather, with the bus, the Pranksters tear through communities like Phoenix, annoying residents and doing only what they themselves wish, which starts to solidify their existence as a group in the consciousness of others.

In Chapter 7, Wolfe states they're...