Comparing Crane's Use Of Light In Fear And Loathing

Yin and Yang

Light. At its most basic function, it gives people the ability to see. However, writers use light for many other reasons than to allow their characters to be able to see things. Light can be used to excite and amaze, or be turned off to create fear and suspense. Both Hunter S. Thompson and Stephen Crane use light as a motif in their respective works. For Thompson, light can dictate when a character can move forward, or illuminate the fantastic vegas strip; for Crane, it reflects the emotions of a desperate lifestyle. In both pieces of literature, light is used to set the mood for the scene, as well as act as a dramatic representation of how the characters are feeling. Together, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Maggie, A Girl

Gonzo. The stoplights serve as opportunities for the duo to develop themselves, and show the reader who they are. For example, at the beginning of chapter three, both Duke and Mr. Gonzo are heavily impaired by the various drugs inhaled in the previous few hours. As they approach a red light, Duke fantasizes about “flashing around Las Vegas in the bugger...start screaming at the traffic: ‘Alright, you chickenshit wimps! You pansies! When this goddamn light flips green, I’m gonna stomp down on this thing and blow every one of you gutless punks off the road!’” Through the motif of light, Thompson illustrates Duke’s sporadic behavior and vulgar filled language while under the influence, and how the only thing preventing him from acting upon his impulses is the small red light illuminated by the traffic signal. Maggie, A Girl of the Streets, is noticeably dark both metaphorically and physically, as the depressing story of Maggie’s upbringing is told through the shadows of dim lights. Crane’s usage of the lights, or lack thereof, in New York are a stark contrast to the brilliance of Las Vegas, and the views and actions of the main characters are similarly in contrast. Maggie is depicted as having to shelter herself from her abusive parents in the early stages of the novel, to living in the shadows after being cast aside by her family and neighbors. Despite the usage

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas features bright colors, creating a vibrant setting, whereas Maggie, A Girl of the Streets feels dark and depressing because of the intentional lack of light. Maggie’s depression and sadness can be seen not just through Crane’s words used in the text, but by the setting in which Maggie is seen in. Maggie’s home is even described as “a dark region where, from a careening building, a dozen gruesome doorways gave up loads of babies to the street and the gutter.” Yet, for Maggie and the other characters of the novel, darkness also supplies a weird sense of security. At the beginning of the story, Maggie and her two sibling attempt to hide in the darkness to prevent being seen by their abusive mother. Later, Jimmie, older brother of Maggie, uses the absence of light to hide and spy on another character: “Later, from a corner safely dark, he saw the policeman, the ally and the bartender emerge from the saloon...” Crane continues to use this motif a total of twelve times in his novel, using it to describe people’s hair, to hiding places for terrified children. Thompson, on the other hand, only uses darkness seven times, whilst using his motif of stoplights, and light itself, an amazing thirty-two times in his short story. Unlike Crane, Thompson uses light to illuminate the characters and their