Hunter S. Thompson's Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas
1042 Words5 Pages
Siobanth Cruz
009204492
The American Dream
A picaresque novel is defined as a novel in which a rogue hero must make his way through corrupt society. Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas falls into the genre of a picaresque novel. The main character in the novel, Raoul Duke, is the rogue hero in the story. Duke gets close to being classified as a criminal but never goes over, a key element in the picaresque genre. The character is of low social class and uses in wit to navigate through the world. A picaresque novel also employs satirical elements. The novel can be seen as a social satire, criticizing people’s desire in finding the American dream. The American dream is the prominent theme throughout the novel. Thompson’s use of a rogue hero is important in the search for the American dream. Duke can be seen as the result of the 60’s. A culture in which drug use was thought to be the answer to how to deal with society. Duke’s constant state of being high, causes…show more content… Duke’s journey from west to east symbolizes the failed attempt to find the American dream in the west coast. The Okie hitchhiker that Duke and Dr. Gonzo pick up represents people’s escaping reality. Thompson’s usage of the hitchhiker is important because it depicts the notion that the American dream is no longer available in the west. That people now are searching for the dream in the east. “…you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark-that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.” (Thompson 68). Thompson is showing that the west is no longer what it was in the mid 60’s, that there was a sense of “…whatever we were doing was right that we were winning…” (Thompson 68). This sense is gone and ultimately the west has disappointed the people and now they must look somewhere else for the