Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
American Culture and Counterculture
The American Dream
Drugs and American Society
News and Journalism
Violence
Summary
Analysis
Duke is driving through Baker on his way to L.A. when the California Highway Patrol pulls him over. The police officer gives Duke a written warning and orders him to a nearby rest area to take a nap. Duke gets back on the freeway heading towards Baker and passes the rest area. Suddenly, he notices the hitchhiker thumbing for a ride just up ahead. Their eyes lock and Duke begins to panic. He stops at a diner and immediately calls Gonzo.
The California Highway Patrol obviously represents authority, which Duke refuses to heed to. He has no intention of doing what the police officer says, so he drives right by the rest stop. Duke’s panic and paranoia over the hitchhiker are more evidence of his drug-induced delusions.
Themes
“They’ve nailed me!” Duke screams in the phone to Gonzo. “I’m trapped in some stinking desert crossroads called Baker. I don’t have much time. The fuckers are closing in.” Both the Highway Patrol and the hitchhiker stand between Duke and L.A., and it appears as if he will never get there. “You’re supposed to be in Vegas,” Gonzo says. “We have a suite at the Flamingo. I was just about to leave for the airport.” Gonzo reminds Duke about the telegram and it suddenly comes back to him. Yes, he will “slip the Kid and confound the CHP by moving East again, instead of West.”
Again, Duke is exceedingly paranoid, a product of his excessive drug use. He thinks the CHP and the hitchhiker are out to get him specifically, and he is beginning to come unraveled. Ironically, Duke believes heading to Vegas is the safest course of action, which of course only makes his situation worse in the long run. Duke’s paranoia and his dedication to the American Dream are the main sources of his trouble in Vegas.
Themes
Duke “relaxes” and hangs up the phone. Going back to Vegas is exactly what he will do. “Register at the Flamingo and have the White Caddy sent over at once. Do it right,” Duke thinks, “remember Horatio Alger.” The bartender approaches Duke and smiles. “Where ya headin’, young man?” he asks. “Las Vegas,” Duke answers immediately. “Great town, that Vegas,” the bartender says. “You’ll have good luck there; you’re the type.”
The “type” the bartender refers to is drunk and looking for trouble, which Duke definitely is. Duke again mentions the American Dream via a Horatio Alger reference, and the luxury of both the Flamingo hotel and the Cadillac again recall the capitalist exploitation implied within the American Dream itself.
Themes
