Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas Sparknotes

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Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S. Thompson is a semi-biographical wild and drug filled odyssey between Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo, also referred to as, Duke’s “attorney”. Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo are based off of Thompson himself and attorney and Chicano activist Oscar “Zeta” Acosta, respectively. The story is partly based off of a trip Thompson and Acosta took in the early 70s when Thompson was interviewing Acosta. When the pair tried talking in public areas around Los Angeles they found it to be difficult because of Acosta being a Mexican- American and there was some racial tension at that time. So they decided to use the trip Thompson was going on to Las Vegas covering the Mint …show more content…

The story takes place in Las Vegas and it starts out when Duke is given the opportunity to cover the Mint 400, an off-the-rode race for motorcycles and dune-buggies, he and Gonzo pick up a load of drugs with the three hundred dollars Duke is given and set their sights on the “American Dream”, Las Vegas. But when the two get there, the drugs distract them from their initial goal, which is covering the story. The “American Dream” in which Duke commonly refers to is not what the common idealism for the American dream is. For Duke it engaging in drugs, alcohol, violence, sex and commercialism. The commercialism referred to in the novel is often times the irony of it all. They are in Las Vegas, which …show more content…

Also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether, and two dozen amyls. These drugs have different types of neurotransmitters. Such as the THC or, Tetrahydrocannabinol found in marijuana. THC affects the dopamine or the “feel good” part of our brains and temporarily increases our dopamine levels. Mescaline on the other hand which is a hallucinogen causes visual hallucinations and radically altered states of consciousness, often experienced as pleasurable and illuminating but occasionally is accompanied by feelings of anxiety or revulsion. Other effects include, open and closed eye visualizations, euphoria, dream-like states, laughter and a psychedelic experience, much of which the two main characters experienced throughout the entire book. Another one of the stand out drugs taken by

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