Lady Luck Who

On Tom Paine's Scar Vegas

Mrs. Lady Luck, Who?

Tom Paine’s “Scar Vegas” takes place in a cheap Las Vegas hotel in the late twentieth century and shows the depressing life of a lonely ex-con. Traveling from Texas to Las Vegas for his sister’s wedding, Johnny Loop emerges as a simple, unlucky, depressed cowboy. Time after time it seems that Loop gets the short end of the stick. His dysfunctional background shapes his attitudes and interactions with others. Ironic, but a depressing ending leaves him helpless, alone, and frustrated. Sadly, it becomes obvious that he is not going to be able to turn his life around.

Loop’s relationship with his sister is complex and distant. Their conversations often are awkward and sad: “’How come you never tell this guy you got a brother?’ “You was in prison.’ ‘So,’ I says. ‘Lot of people in prison. I’m your only family.’ ‘So she says. The sky is white and sick with heat. ‘Nice dress,’ I says”(128). Avoiding what they are trying to say, they often change the subject. Clearly they regret their weak bond. At the same time their efforts to improve their relationship are feeble. The lack of interest in each other’s lives further alienates Loop: “‘We’re are going to polish the floor with his face.’ On the seventieth the team goes into a huddle. Lucas and I lean against the wall”(134). Ironically, Loop should be as concerned, if not more, over the “pervert” flashing his sister. However, he chooses to stay out of it. His lack of action is not necessarily a sign of maturity, but more a lack of caring. The weak relationship along with a number of other factors further isolates Loop.

Johnny Loop is a lonely aimless man fresh out of prison. Right from the beginning he is struggling not only with his money, but also his physical condition: “The Cowboys cracked my ribs but they are taped firm. I am now in Vegas after frying across the Texas panhandle in July top down because the top was broke up good when I was thrown through outside Amarillo my first real stop after Galveston”(123). This murky past conveys his rough background and his inherent unluckiness. By the time Johnny Loop actually gets to his sister’s wedding he has already hit what he thinks is rock bottom. His complex but distant relationship with his sister along with his background leaves him alone and worn down.