Norman Rockwell's "The Runaway"

When one thinks of Norman Rockwell's art, one gets images of the American 1950's - such as a happy family on Thanksgiving, a schoolteacher, etc. - all classic Americana. However, despite the overall 'feel-good' nostalgia factor of his work, a large amount of it seems to ignore what was going on during the 1950's - a cultural rebellion. One particular image of his, "The Runaway", depicts a young boy in a bright yellow shirt sitting at a lunch counter, a bindle with his belongings in it at his feet, looking up at a cop who appears to be giving him a disapproving gaze, with the man behind the counter looking amused at the scene. Though quaint and enjoyable to look at, the picture does not reflect at all what was happening during those times, instead focusing on something that will make you grin when you look at it, as though yearning for when the viewer was a child. Rockwell's "The Runaway" overlooks the fundamental rift that was rising in America throughout the 1950's - an emerging counterculture that was not concerned with how things were in America but rather how they are.