I struggled with this book, I had a very difficult time following the story line. I am an avid reader and it is hard for me to admit that a book is beyond my grasp; however that is how I felt while reading this book. While listening to the discussion in class I found that I had comprehended more that I had thought at first. I knew that I was grateful for never getting into the drug scene, but I now understand that I got more than that from the book. I realized that by using Las Vegas as a model he was telling us what was going on in a larger arena. There are the rags to riches American Dream winners, then there are the people who gamble on a dream and loose. They are the ones you find in North Vegas in the book, in the larger world they are the ones that are used up and left behind.
I did not care for this book and the reason for that is something that I can not fully explain. I think part of the reason is because I have never understood the urge to use drugs. When this book first came out as a movie I tried to watch it and left the room after about ten minutes. It just makes no sense to me. I can pull bits and pieces out that make some kind of sense but not much.
The book was difficult to follow, but that's alot of the idea behind Thompson's writing. Life isn't an "easy read" and he made that abundantly clear with "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas". There are times in life when things are messed up and when we try to recall the events we put our own spin on it to fin into our id's philosophy on life. You may recall the key points in alot of your life experiences, but not all the thoughts you had while you were living it that day. HST makes a point to tell the reader not only what he did (or percieved to do) but what he thought about it at the time and what the outcome may be. That aspect of his writing is very intreguing to me.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand how you feel about the drug usage in the story. Granted it is the central theme and the driving force behind Thompson's novel, but it is so difficult to grasp that individuals truly live that way. As a 21 year old I run into a lot of issues with friends seriously abusing drugs and alcohol. Its heartbreaking to see it ruin lives. It also made me a little angry to read how reckless Thompson and his attorney were and somehow got away with all of it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is very hard to read. I can see that Thompson was trying to enlighten everyone about what goes on in the drug world, but it is definately not a book or movie that I would have chose to read or see. The movie made me really glad that I never did acid or other drugs cause I really have no desire to see reptiles or bats etc. Pretty freaky stuff. It is hard to watch how reckless they were and unbeleivably they get away with it.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading the book, I saw the drug usage as a central part of the story. However, after watching the movie and discussing the book, I realized that the drugs were just a small element of a bigger picture. Drugs were one of the avenues HST used to blend fact/fiction, and reality/fantasy to push forward the points he was trying to make on our society. Even though I would not use the same tools, he did effectively use his hallucinations from drugs to reach metaphors in order to better understand reality.
ReplyDeleteDrug use isn't a them of the novel; it's a motif. This is an important distinction. I think this confusion is one reason some people are struggling to see beyond the drug use. A motif is a recurring image or idea. Because it is recurring it definitely has significance in the story, but a motif is only one small part of a literary work, while a theme is it's main point or central message. Drugs are good or, alternately, drugs are bad would be morals. This is no fable that Thompson has told. As a work of art it's message is meant to be illusive, to be imparted to only those with eyes to see beyond its surface. A theme is highly complex and must be carefully gleaned from the subtleties of the story.
ReplyDelete