In the 1970’s many young men were returning home from the war in Vietnam. Many of these men were drafted into service before they could finish or even start college. As a result, many of these veterans could not get a good paying job and were forced to work low paying jobs. Many of these troops also had psychological problems due to experiences during the war. Also being in the war lead to these men having a distorted view of what was “normal”. The main character in Martin Scorcese’s classic film Taxi Driver, Travis Bickle, is in this situation.

At the beginning of the film, Travis Bickle walks into a taxi depot trying to find some work. One of the questions the boss/dispatcher asks is “Education?”, to which Bickle doesn’t give a straight answer. Bickle, like other war vets at the time, had little to no education and a psychological issue (insomnia) that essentially outcasted him to his own world. Travis volunteers to work the midnight shift since he can’t sleep at night. After fighting for his country, Travis came home to a city and nation that rejected him. Travis epitomizes the experience of war vets in the 1970’s after the Vietnam War.