Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas

Raoul Duke, Dr. Gonzo, and the hitchhiker on their way to Las Vegas.

Raoul Duke Raoul Duke, Dr. Gonzo are on their way to Las Vegas to cover the Mint 400 off-road race. They also have given a hitchhiker a ride to Las Vegas. Dr. Gonzo has suggested that they stock up on drugs for their trip to Las Vegas. They have a lot of drugs and are already intoxicated.
Why did I Chose it?
I chose this scene from the book because it is the main incident that resulted in all the events and mishaps in the novel. The drugs that Raoul and Dr. Gonzo brought with them were the main cause of all their hallucinations and drama. For example, Raoul Duke being caught by the police for speeding. He was intoxicated when this happened. This is the initial incident that

started the conflict. If they ever brought the drugs with them they would have accomplished what they came for with minimal discrepancies.

Analysis

Description of the Setting
Set in the 70’s, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas starts off on a highway near Barstow, 100 miles from Las Vegas in Raoul’s and Dr. Gonzo’s rented red convertible. The highway they’re on is in located in the desert, there is not much vegetation there and the land is very dry. Las Vegas also has a desert, which is the location of the Mint 400 race. They arrive at the Mint Hotel in Las Vegas. The Mint Hotel is a very large hotel, with a massive red, sign in bright neon. This hotel is not located on the Las Vegas strip, where the characters spend a lot of their time. The Las Vegas strips is a street lined up with many hotels and casinos, all with their unique colorful signs. The “strip” has an energetic atmosphere and is never empty or quiet. Filled with gamblers, tourists, and fantastic hotels the Las Vegas strip is the epicenter of Nevada.
The Main Characters
Raoul Duke
Hunter J. Thompson is portrayed as Raoul Duke in the novel. Raoul Duke is journalist assigned to cover the Mint 400 desert motorcycle race. Raoul Duke is the protagonist in the story, his experiences in Las Vegas are described in the novel. He’s a very daring and carefree individual. Throughout the novel, Raoul is doing various things that some might describe as outrageous, such as possessing a variety of drugs that are prohibited in certain areas. An example of Raoul being fearfulness is when he allowed the hitchhiker into his car not knowing his intentions. It’s very hard to depict Raoul’s true personality because throughout the novel he is under the effect of various drugs. The personality of someone can greatly be altered by the effect of drugs. Judging by the profession of Raoul, he would look like an average person. Since Raoul is carefree, he would likely wear outgoing clothes (various colors and patterns). So far Raoul Duke is portrayed are a carefree and daring individual, altercations in his traits can still occur in the second part of the novel.
Dukes Attorney (Dr. Gonzo)
The name of Raoul’s attorney is not mentioned in the text. However, Raoul uses the name Dr. Gonzo for his attorney when signing into the hotel. Dr. Gonzo accompanies Raoul on his journey to Las Vegas. He stays with Raoul to help him if he gets into any legal problems. He is also carefree, he shows minimal concern to others. Dr. Gonzo is also a quick-thinker. In certain situations, he can solve the problem very quickly. When Raoul parked his car in front of the Desert Inn he was immediately asked to move it however, Dr. Gonzo pulled out a five-dollar bill and bribed the hotel employee to park the car. This demonstrates Dr. Gonzo’s quick thinking. Like Raoul, Dr. Gonzo is under the effect of various drugs during the novel. Thus, depicting his true personality and attitude is tough. Dr. Gonzo is a described as a Samoan, he’s is from Samoa. Judging by his sharp personality he most likely wears casual or formal attire. So far Dr. Gonzo cannot be clearly visualized in the first half of the novel.

Initial Incident
The initial incident in the novel was when Raoul Duke got assigned to cover the Mint 400 by Lacerda.

If this didn’t occur the various events that took place in Las Vegas would have never happened. This assignment motivated Raoul and his attorney to travel to Las Vegas and acquire various drugs. The main conflict in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is man vs society. Raoul and his attorney are two carefree individuals, this is a direct result of their high usage of drugs. The main action in the novel began when Raoul and his attorney bought, and took drugs on their way to Las Vegas. Many of their inconsiderate and strange actions were a result of drugs. An example would be the hitchhiker jumping out of the car after noting that Raoul and Dr. Gonzo were on drugs. Having the effect of various drugs throughout the novel had separated them from normal people in society. Society does not accept people who are in an intoxicated state possessing many illegal drugs. Overall, the conflict between man and society began when Raoul and Dr. Gonzo acquired

drugs.
Summary
Set in 1970’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas begins on the highway near Barstow.

Raoul Duke, a journalist, gets assigned to cover the Mint 400, an off-road motorcycle race. Raoul’s attorney decides to join him on his journey. His attorney suggests that they pick up some drugs for the journey ahead, and they do. On their way to Las Vegas, they pick up a Hitchhiker, who later jumps out of the car after realizing that Raoul and his attorney are in an intoxicated state. Once they arrive a Las Vegas they go on to check in, to the Mint Hotel. After relaxing for a bit, they wake up the next morning ready to go to cover the Mint 400. They witnessed the start of the race and stayed until the last few vehicle left the starting line. After watching some of the race they decide to leave because it is very hard to see in all the dust and desert sun. They then decide to see Debbie Reynolds perform. Next, they visited Circus-circus (a casino and circus), where they took more drugs. They then returned to their room in the Mint hotel and began to hallucinate and argue with each other, eventually, they both go to sleep. The next day Raoul realizes that he has no story for the magazine, so he tries to run away without paying for the hotel. But, he gets caught by the police for speeding. After being released, Raoul goes to a rest stop and sees the hitchhiker again. He then calls his attorney in fear of being reported for intoxicated driving. He then changes his mind about running away and

returns to The Flamingo hotel to cover his next assignment.

Reflection

My Opinion
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a novel in the genre of Gonzo journalism. This is when the reporter is part of the story itself via a first-person narrative. This is the first book to feature this type of writing style. So far, I have found this type of writing style to be very entertaining. It allows the reader to understand thoroughly what the character is going through, in this case, Raoul’s journey on covering the Mint 400 race. Most events in the book are amusing, and reading from the viewpoint of a character is a very different experience. The novel takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada. I have personally visited Las Vegas and all the attractions there. And reading a fiction novel about someone visiting the same attractions adds to the experience. So far, I am enjoying the novel, mainly because of the writing style and setting.
3 Likes, 3 Dislikes
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a well-written book. Written in the style of Gonzo journalism the reader, reads the viewpoints of the protagonist or the reporter. This type of writing is something I’ve adopted to enjoy. I find everything more immersive and entertaining. Knowing how the main character feels in various situation allows me to understand the situation better. I also found the novel quite amusing, mainly due to dramatic irony and exaggeration. Sometimes the characters have odd hallucinations which we know are not real. For example, when Raoul sees a giant electric snake in the sky and wanted to study its habits. In addition, Raoul’s shock when he sees the hitchhiker again. Situations like these add to the comedy of the novel. The setting of the novel is in Las Vegas, which is a place I have recently visited, I enjoy relating to the various hotels and attractions Raoul and Dr. Gonzo visit. This novel allowed me to read about the past culture of Las Vegas.
With the three likes come the three dislikes. Starting with the overall vulgarity of the novel. I am not too fond of the use vulgar language or concepts. I find it to be quite rude and unacceptable for use in society. This novel has many areas where vulgarity is present. To be reading this vulgar language is something I find uncomfortable. Secondly, since the Raoul and Dr. Gonzo are always under the effect of some drugs it is very difficult to understand what’s going on at times. The characters are rarely in their sober state so correctly analyzing their personality and traits is difficult. Lastly, I did not like the illustrations in the novel. Most of the pictures found throughout the novel are quite exaggerated and don’t really depict a clear scene. For example, when, Dr. Gonzo picked up a knife in anger, the illustration showed a huge monster with the large knife in its hand. I would have preferred more clear images rather than exaggerated ones, this would allow me to understand the story better. Overall Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a good but, with some changes, I would have enjoyed the novel much more.

The Characters?
Raoul Duke
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is written in the perspective of Raoul Duke. Raoul Duke is a very daring and carefree character in the novel. I find it really amusing when Raoul Duke exaggerates various events such as finding the hitchhiker again. I would describe Raoul Duke as chaotic. He’s always in a state of confusion or excitement. Multiple times throughout the novel Raoul is doing something out of order or illegal. He didn’t complete his assigned task of covering the Mint 400, which demonstrates his disorganization.
Dukes Attorney (Dr. Gonzo)
Dr. Gonzo is Raoul’s attorney, mainly there to help Raoul if he gets into legal trouble. He is quite like Raoul when it comes to personality. He also demonstrates a chaotic nature. A major difference would be his attitude. From what I have read Dr. Gonzo is a very carefree individual who is far more into drugs than Raoul. He’s the one that proposed the idea to stock up on drugs for the trip to Las Vegas. Dr. Gonzo rarely thinks about others, and just wants to do his job. An example would be when he began pranking spectators of the Mint 400. In addition, I find Dr. Gonzo to be a quick thinker. When Raoul was under fire by hotel employees for parking his car in front of the hotel, Dr. Gonzo quickly bribed the staff to get the car parked. Overall, I wouldn’t describe Dr. Gonzo as a stereotypical attorney rather, an aggressive quick-thinker.
Prediction

What’s Next
At the end of chapter twelve, Raoul decided to come back to Las Vegas because he was too afraid of getting caught for driving intoxicated. He is going to attend and cover the dangerous drugs and narcotics conference. This conference focuses on the effects of drugs to educate people about its abuse. Raoul will attend this conference with Dr. Gonzo and its very likely they will be intoxicated when they attend. This will most likely result in them getting caught by someone or just make a huge scene. Overall, tensions will rise at the dangerous drugs and narcotics conference.
The End?
After attending the drugs and narcotics conference they will most likely interact with the police. I believe that Raoul getting caught for speeding and being afraid of being caught for drunk driving is foreshadowing to more interaction with the police later in the novel. Raoul and Dr. Gonzo will be running around Las Vegas trying to avoid the police and further trouble. This chase will eventually end in the two being proved innocent by Dr. Gonzo’s quick thinking. The two will then go to a casino to relax, and then Raoul will realize he hasn’t done anything for his magazine article. He will then go out to find a more interesting story (his journey in Las Vegas) and get that sent to the magazine company. They will reject it and he will publish it as a novel and then return to Los Angeles. Thus, concluding the story.