One of the most relevant aspect of Hayduke as a symbol - as an archetype, in fact - is the fact that for all the property destruction dished out at the hands of Hayduke during his efforts with The Monkey Wrench Gang, despite the explosions, the excavation equipment ruined, the survey stakes pulled up from mile after seemingly endless mile of soon-to-be-destroyed countryside, Hayduke never hurt, maimed, or killed anyone. Hayduke is Abbey's codification of the wants, longings, and desires of the average male environmentalist awash in the frustrations of corporate greed and corruption where the voice of the little people remain unheard - until the little people rise up and take direct action because, as Abbey's Monkey Wrench Gang puts it, "somebody has to do it." He is most likely named after the Haiduks, rebels in the Ottoman Empire, and one of Eric Hobsbawm's archetypal bandits. The character of Hayduke was based on his friend and author, Doug Peacock, a Vietnam vet that Abbey befriended and traveled with in the Southwest United States.
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