Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream was originally written by Hunter S. Thompson in 1971. This classic novel showcases a stoned sportswriter, Raoul Duke, who also refers to his own ego as “Dr. Gonzo”. Duke travels to Las Vegas with his fellow Samoan “attorney” to cover a motorcycle race on the outskirts of Las Vegas called the Mint 400. After a series of reckless events, Raoul and his companion finally make their way to the city. Once there, they find themselves stirring up a great deal of trouble and receive a heap of public attention due to their erratic, drug-induced behaviors. The novel intrigued readers so much that, in 1998, Terry Gilliam transformed Thompson’s work of art into a movie under the same title. Although the film adaptation of the narrative shares mostly similarities with the original novel, Gilliam’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas uses a slightly different type of narration, omits a selection of topics, and lacks emphasis on the American Dream compared to Thompson’s original.
The first and most apparent discrepancy in the two works is that they are under two separate styles of narration. While the characters in both speak in the first person, in the movie, Dr. Gonzo recites Duke’s thoughts as if he is the narrator. Conversely, the book randomly changes back and forth between Dr. Gonzo and Raoul Duke’s lines. On some occasions, this makes it complicated for the reader to understand the difference between what is actually happening and what is only being contemplated on. This, in turn, could puzzle the reader. However, some of the misunderstanding that takes place does seem to make the characters’ drug-induced actions much more pragmatic and reiterates just how dis...
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...the “minor details” in his work and because his own thoughts and ideas about society and the American Dream were incorporated into the storyline. Gilliam’s version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, however, leaves out a few of the important topics that were frequently mentioned, lacks emphasis on Hunter’s view of the American Dream, and changes the style of narration entirely. For these reasons, Hunter Thompson’s original version of the narrative is a much more informative based on the amount of details that it provides compared to Terry Gilliam’s film.
Works Cited
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. Dir. Terry Gilliam. Perf. Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro. 1998. DVD.
Thompson, Hunter S. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. New York: Random House, Inc., 1971. Print.
Freedom is one of the many great qualities of life, but when it is taken away, life could turn out to be anything but great. Freedom to think, repent, and refuse should be incorporated in ones daily routine, but under an authoritarian dystopian society, these freedoms are only dreamt of. When society draws such attitudes and lifestyles upon its citizens, one adapts and accepts these requests, but not without a compromise. In Shirley Jackson’s masterpiece ‘The Lottery’ and Kurt Vonnegut’s exceptional story ‘Harrison Bergeron’, human life is so often sacrificed and withdrawn that is becomes a norm in society. Forcing people to agree with someone else’s ideology of harmony and success cannot be achieved without discarding the non-believers. Both dystopian societies possess excessive force on their civilians, with harsh consequences resulting in death. Traditional values and dictatorship laws forcefully overcome the mass population’s beliefs, resulting in obedience and respect to the laws of society. By comparing and contrasting the short story ‘The Lottery’ and ‘Harrison Bergeron’, it can be derived that these societies have strict rules and regulations, citizens of the society have become so adapted that they are afraid of change, and there is a severe lack of freedom.
The novel “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer goes into great detail to describe the main character, Chris McCandless, who died traveling alone into the Alaskan wilderness. McCandless, whom in the novel renamed himself Alex, left his home and family to travel to Alaska in 1992. In Alaska McCandless planned to live an isolated life in the desolate wilderness, but unfortunately he did not survive. This non-fiction novel portrays his life leading up to his departure and it captures the true essence of what it means to be “in the wild”.
At the end of “Into the Wild” by John Krakauer epilogue, my view towards McCandless’s journey and death is emotionally similar to McCandless’s parents as they accept Chris’s death. Chris’s parents weren’t really involved in his life so they never really knew why he cut everyone off. My initial guess is that Chris got tired of his parents controlling his life and just wanted to get away. Throughout “Into The Wild” Chris’s parents seemed like they didn’t support or care about Chris, or they didn’t know how to show it, however my opinion about Chris’s parents did change because the author shined light on his parents and how they came to senses with their son’s death and that they actually really did care about their son Chris McCandless.
According to Ty Kiisel, writer for Forbes magazine, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” (Kiisel). In the book Ragged Dick by Horatio Alger, Alger portrays a young New York boot black in the 1860s. Dick rises to become the embodiment of the American Dream through, as Kiisel notes, who he knows. Ragged Dick builds many relationships with upper-class men, fellow boot blacks, and even builds connections within himself, all while keeping his morality in check. The relationships that Ragged Dick forms are what make him achieve the American Dream.
In Jon Krakauer’s book “Into the Wild”, Krakauer describes the travels of Chris McCandless, a young man, who travels alone into the Alaskan wilderness. Krakauer details Chris’s painful demise from starvation was at the age of 24 in an abandoned bus deep in Alaska. According to Krakauer, Chris McCandless left for Alaska because he was seeking refuge from his betrayal by his father. Chris was searching for truth; something he could believe in after he had found out his dad led a double life; one with Chris and his mother and another with another woman and another son. It seems McCandless was looking to test himself; to prove he could survive in the wild without society, but mostly without his father’s help. Chris was searching for something, Independence. During Chris journey to Alaska, he found what he was looking for an escape but also found his identity. During his final days in the bus, Chris’s mindset changed; he determined he needed people. Some say Chris was foolish but he was a smart kid in unfortunate circumstances.
Velvet Goldmine. Dir. Todd Hayes. Perf. Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Ewan McGregor, Christian Bale, Toni Collette. Miramax, 1998.
Nathanael West’s The Day of the Locust is said by many to be the best novel to be written about Hollywood. When we immediately think of Hollywood, we think of a glamorous story, in the picturesque setting of Los Angeles, full of characters with abundance of talent living the much sought after American dream. This is perhaps what sets West’s novel apart from the rest. The story is full of characters that have a vague impression of the difference in reality and fantasy in life. The characters are submerged in their lives in Hollywood, with what seems to be a false reality on how the world works. The untalented would-be actors, withering vaudeville performers and prostitutes place a certain grotesque over the novel from the beginning, and in a world of certain fantasy and chaos like this, violence is bound to come to the fore as a theme in many different forms. The protagonist of the story, Tod Hackett, is different to the rest of the characters in the novel. Tom is a talented artist, but still has a good view of reality by times, so Tom can act part as an observer in the novel. Tom however has been sucked in to the fantasy world also life has become somewhat submerged in the fantasy world.
In 1971, American columnist Hunter S. Thompson went on an adventure to find the American Dream. In his book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas he uses Gonzo journalism to record and impart his drug and acid full experience roaming through 1970's Las Vegas. All through the book, he frequently references and derides the traditional ideals of Horatio Alger and takes stab at our social, overpowering need to enjoy.
Riedel, Luther. "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream." Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 2 Mar. 2014 .
The Confessions of Nat Turner Throughout history people have published articles and books in order to sway the public to their side. Rulers such as Stalin and Mao used propaganda to keep themselves in power; people such as Thomas Paine used articles in order to start revolution. Thomas R. Gray, author of The Confessions of Nat Turner, had that power when he interviewed Turner.
Countercultural authors, whether speaking through a haze of narcotics or as if speaking to a child, can play a strong role in establishing new ideologies within a society. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Breakfast of Champions are compelling examples of this, and Thompson and Vonnegut walk into touchy territory while presenting their themes. If one wishes to find an alternative to prevailing modes of thinking, it is important to look upon work such as theirs and discover the answers to their questions about our culture. As the Stiff Little Fingers say, “Grab it and change it, it’s yours.”
‘’You are a fucking ugly bitch, I want to stab you to death and play around with your blood’’ .
People who work hard enough become successful and build a good life for themselves and their family. Millions of Americans and others who admire America have believed this for generations. However, is this still true? Brandon King debates his interpretation of the American Dream in his published work, “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?” During his essay, the speaker highlights how important the American Dream is to the economy and providing a distance from inequality. The speaker emphasizes his belief that the American Dream is still alive within America and that people must work hard to achieve it. When discussing the American Dream, King will agree that the idea is alive and thriving in the minds of Americans; yet, I argue that the idea is on hold within American society due to lack of upward social independence and economic mobility.
Krakauer, Jon. The. The “Into the Wild”. New York: Anchor Books, 1996. Print.
"The Killers" by Ernest Hemingway is a story based upon Hemingway's view of the big city in the late 1920's. During the era of prohibition whoever controlled the flow of alcohol controlled the city. Unfortunately, the police were powerless against man thirst for booze. The Mafia also expanded into the bookie field, and if someone didn't pay up or double crossed the Mafia they were taken out. Hemingway was unfamiliar with this city scene and we can see a very strong correlation between him and one of his characters, Nick Adams. Nick was a newcomer to the city, completely unfamiliar with the boldness of disregard for the law that was present. The Theme that I feel Hemingway is trying to convey is how much corruption and disregard for the law there was in the late 1920's.